americium

American  

[am-uh-rish-ee-uhm] / ˌæm əˈrɪʃ i əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a transuranic element, one of the products of high-energy helium bombardment of uranium and plutonium. Am; 95.

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americium British  

/ ˌæməˈrɪsɪəm /

noun

1. a white metallic transuranic element artificially produced from plutonium. It is used as an alpha-particle source. Symbol: Am; atomic no: 95; half-life of most stable isotope, ²⁴³ Am: 7.4 × 10³ years; valency: 2,3,4,5, or 6; relative density: 13.67; melting pt: 1176°C; boiling pt: 2607°C (est)

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americium Scientific  

/ ăm′ə-rĭsh′ē-əm /

1. Symbol Am A synthetic, silvery-white, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series that is produced artificially by bombarding plutonium with neutrons. Americium is used as a source of alpha particles for smoke detectors and gamma rays for industrial gauges. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of 7,950 years. Atomic number 95; specific gravity 11.7; valence 3, 4, 5, 6.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of americium

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; Americ(a) + -ium

Example Sentences

In Colorado, for instance, 27 buildings house scary-sounding elements such as cesium 137, cobalt 60, americium 241 and iridium 192.

From Scientific American • Mar. 11, 2022

Spent fuel rods contain a variety of products, consisting of unstable nuclei ranging in atomic number from 25 to 60, some transuranium elements, including plutonium and americium, and unreacted uranium isotopes.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Inhalation of the particles, which included uranium, thorium, plutonium and americium, can increase the risk of cancer.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 14, 2018

One of the main concerns has been that the remaining plutonium was being allowed to degenerate into other radioactive components like americium, which emits gamma rays that travel farther and are hard to block.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2015

Smoke detectors work thanks to a tiny trace of americium, the next element after plutonium.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2014