Cm
247.000Curium
Küriyum
Curium is a synthetic radioactive actinide with atomic number 96. It is known for curium-244 alpha sources in Mars rover APXS instruments, curium-242 power research and heavy-actinide synthesis.
96
247 g/mol
[Rn] 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s²
2 | 8 | 18 | 32 | 25 | 9 | 2
1.3
13.51 g/cm³
1339.8 °C
3109.8 °C
Glenn T. Seaborg
Curium was synthesized in 1944 by Glenn Seaborg, Ralph James and Albert Ghiorso by bombarding plutonium with alpha particles. It was named after Marie Curie and Pierre Curie.
Curium-242
Half-life: About 163 days. High-specific-power alpha emitter studied for radioisotope power applications.Curium-244
Half-life: About 18.1 years. Alpha source used in APXS instruments for planetary surface analysis.Curium-248
Half-life: About 3.4 x 10⁵ years. Long-lived isotope used in heavy actinide research.CmO₂
Curium DioxideResearch compound and source-material form.CmCl₃
Curium(III) ChlorideResearch compound for curium chemistry.- Curium-244 alpha sources in Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometers on Mars rovers
- Curium isotopes in heavy actinide and superheavy element synthesis targets
- Curium-242 and curium-244 radioisotope power research
- Nuclear structure and actinide chemistry studies
Curium has no biological role and all isotopes are radioactive. Curium isotopes can be strongly radiotoxic if incorporated into the body.
- Curium is named after two pioneers of radioactivity, Marie and Pierre Curie.
- Cm-244 alpha particles can excite X-rays from a rock surface, letting APXS instruments measure composition.
- Curium is chemically similar in some ways to gadolinium because of the half-filled f-shell pattern.
- Curium has atomic number 96 and symbol Cm.
- Its electron configuration is [Rn] 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s².
- Curium commonly forms +3 compounds.
- Remember Cm-244 for Mars rover APXS instruments.
What is the atomic number of curium?
The atomic number of curium is 96.
What is the electron configuration of curium?
Curium has the electron configuration [Rn] 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s².
What is curium used for?
Curium is used in APXS planetary instruments, actinide research, isotope power research and heavy element synthesis.
What is curium-244 used for?
Curium-244 is used as an alpha source in Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometers on Mars rovers and other planetary instruments.
Who is curium named after?
Curium is named after Marie Curie and Pierre Curie.