Actinium [Ac] (CAS-ID: 7440-34-8) locate me
An: 89 N: 138 Am: [227]
Group Name: Actinoid
Block: f-block  Period: 7 (actinoid)
State: solid at 298 K
Colour: silvery Classification: Metallic
Boiling Point: 3743K (3198'C)
Melting Point: 1323K (1050'C)
Density: 10g/cm3
Shell Structure diagram | Atomic Radius diagram
Isotopes | More Info
Discovery Information
Who: Andre Debierne
When: 1899
Where: France
Name Origin
Greek: aktinos (beam or ray).
Sources
Extremely rare, found in all uranium ores. One ton of uranium contains about one tenth of a gram of actinium. Usually obtained by treating radium with neutrons in a reactor.
Uses
Used as a source of neutrons and for thermoelectric power. It has no other significant industrial applications.
Notes
It is about 150 times as radioactive as radium.
Due to its intense radioactivity, Actinium glows in the dark with an eerie blue light. 227Ac is extremely radioactive, and in terms of its potential for radiation induced health effects, 227Ac is even more dangerous as plutonium. Ingesting even small amounts of 227Ac would present a serious health hazard.