This section contains 778 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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Symbol
Cm
Atomic Number
96
Atomic Mass
247.0703
Family
Actinide Transuranium Element Pronunciation
CURE-ee-um
Overview
Curium is called a transuranium element because it follows uranium on the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other. Uranium has an atomic number of 92, so any element with a higher atomic number is a transuranium element.
Curium was discovered in 1944 by Glenn Seaborg (1912- ), Ralph A. James, and Albert Ghiorso (1919- ). These researchers, from the University of California at Berkeley, were working at the Metallurgical Research Laboratory (MRL) at the University of Chicago where work on the first atomic bomb was being conducted.
Discovery and Naming
Curium was first produced in a particle accelerator at the MRL. A particle accelerator is also called an atom smasher. It is used to accelerate small particles, such as protons, to move at very high speeds. The...
This section contains 778 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) |
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