Curium

Curium (Cm)

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

Chemical Properties of Curium

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.