CURIUM

HISTORY

• Produced by Glenn Seaborg,Ralph James and Albert Ghioso
• At the University of California in 1944
• Named after the scientist Pierre and Marie Curie
• Bombarded plutonium-239 with alpha particles that had been accelerated in a cyclotron
• To make Curium

HISTORY CONT.

• Melting point- 2453 Fahrenheit
• Boiling Point- 5600 Fahrenheit
• Density- 13.51 g/cm cubed
• Phases at room temperature-solid
• Third transuranium element discovered

PROPERTIES

• Radioactive- something that emits radiation
• Not shiny
• Hard brittle metal
• Tarnishes slowly in dry air at room temperature
• Silvery-white in color

PROPERTIES CONT.

• Has peculiar magnetic properties

USES

• Used for basic scientific research
• May be used for radioisotope generators in the future
• Used in the space program as a heat source
• Used in Pacemakers (a machine that helps regulate the heart)
• Used in remote navigational buoys

USES CONT.

• Used as a portable source of electrical power

SOURCES

• Large quantities can be easily produced in nuclear reactors
• Small amounts are thought to occur in nature with deposits of uranium
• It's formed when uranium breaks down and formed new elements
• Small amount actually exist in nature