curium

Curium is a chemical element with the symbol Cm and atomic number 96. It is a synthetic, radioactive metal in the actinide series and is named in honor of the Curie scientists, Marie and Pierre Curie. Curium was first synthesized in 1944 by Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph James, and Albert Ghiorso at the University of California, Berkeley, during the Manhattan Project. It was produced by bombarding plutonium-239 with alpha particles in a cyclotron, yielding isotopes such as Cm-242 and Cm-244.

Physically, curium behaves as a heavy, dense metal with a silvery appearance that tarnishes in air. It is highly radioactive and toxic, emitting alpha particles and, in some isotopes, undergoing spontaneous fission. In air and moisture, curium gradually forms oxides and hydroxides. In chemistry, the most accessible oxidation state is Cm3+, and curium forms a range of compounds, including oxides (such as Cm2O3 and CmO2), halides, and various coordination complexes studied in actinide chemistry.

Occurrence and production: curium does not occur naturally on Earth and must be produced synthetically in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. It is typically obtained as a byproduct of plutonium or americium irradiation and is produced in very limited quantities.

Isotopes and applications: curium has several radioisotopes with varying half-lives; most are short-lived, while a few have longer durations. Because of its radioactivity and scarcity, curium is used mainly for scientific research in nuclear chemistry and physics. Some isotopes have been employed as alpha or neutron sources in specialized laboratory applications, but practical uses are limited and tightly controlled due to safety concerns and regulatory restrictions.