The Element Curium

Curium is a hard yet brittle, radioactive silvery metal which does not occur in nature. It is made in a nuclear reactor by neutron capture reactions from plutonium and americium isotopes and is said to tarnish quickly in dry air at room temperature.

Curium can be a health hazard if it enters the body as it accumulates in the bones. Its radiation is capable of attacking the red-cell forming mechanisms of the body and is said to be very toxic at all levels. As per its uses, the only known use so far is its application in the spectrometer of the Mars Rover.

Atomic Number & Chemical Properties

Element Basics:

Chemical Symbol: Cm
Atomic Number: 96
Atomic Weight: 247.0703
Element Classification: Radioactive Rare Earth Element (Actinide Series)
Discovered By: G.T.Seaborg, R.A.James, A.Ghiorso
Date of Discovery: 1944 (United States)
Origin of Name: Named in honor of Pierre and Marie Curie.

How to Recognize it at a Party:

Silvery, malleable, synthetic radioactive metal

Seriously Atomic Information:

Density (g/cc): 13.51
Melting Point (°K): 1340
Boiling Point (°K): n/a
Atomic Radius (pm): 299
Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 18.28
Covalent Radius (pm): n/a
Ionic Radius: n/a
Pauling Negativity Number: 1.3
First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): (580)
Oxidation States: 4, 3
Electronic Configuration: [Rn] 5f7 6d1 7s2

Getting Intimate with Curium:

Lattice Structure: n/a
Lattice Constant (Å): n/a
Lattice C/A Ratio: n/a
Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): n/a
Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): n/a
Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): n/a
Thermal Conductivity (@25°C W/m K):
Debye Temperature (°K): n/a

Society's Questions About Curium:

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About the Element...

About the Chemical Elements:
# 1-59