Curium (Cm)

Symbol | Cm |
Atomic Number | 96 |
Atomic Mass | (247) g.mol -1 |
Discovered by | G.T. Seaborg in 1944 |

Chemical Properties of Curium
Group | Actinides | Melting point | 1345°C, 2453°F, 1618 K |
Period | 7 | Boiling point | Unknown |
Block | f | Density (g cm−3) | 13.51 |
Atomic number | 96 | Relative atomic mass | [247] |
State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes | 243Cm, 248Cm |
Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f76d17s2 | CAS number | 7440-51-9 |
ChemSpider ID | 22415 | ChemSpider is a free chemical database |
What is Curium ?
- Curium is a hard metal having an atomic number of 96 and symbol Cm. This metal is artificially produced in the nuclear reactors. It is electro-positive, radioactive and also a chemically active substance, which is not obtained naturally. This metal possesses some magnetic properties. As the temperature increases, the resistivity of this metal also increases.
- In the year 1944, Glenn Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, and James discovered this metal and was named after Marie Curie and Pierre Curie.
Applications of Curium
- The isotopes of curium such as curium- 244 and curium 242 are used in power generation industries such as thermo-electric and thermionic converters.
- This metal is used in the X-ray spectrometer for the purpose of quantitative analysis
- In medical applications, it is used as power source.
- One gram of curium produces around 3 watts of thermal energy. For this reason, It is used in spacecraft applications.
- It has its wide uses in the field of research industries as it is a radioactive element.
Effects of Curium
- Curium is a hazardous metal, which causes some health disorders when inhaled.
- It damages the liver and also causes breathing and gastrointestinal problems when ingested.
- Rats, when injected with an isotope of curium, was observed to develop skeletal cancer.
- The radiation, which is emitted by curium are likely to cause the destruction of the red blood cells.
Environmental effects of Curium
- Improper disposal of curium leads to various environmental issues. Curium is found in nature in the form of its oxides.
- The radiation generated from this metal has many natural impacts.
- Curium is an insoluble chemical, which fixes to the soil particles.