Actinium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Ac and atomic number 89. It is a silvery-white, highly reactive, and rare earth metal that is found in uranium ores. Actinium was first discovered in 1899 by French chemist André-Louis Debierne, but it wasn’t until 1902 that it was independently isolated by German chemist Friedrich Otto Giesel. Actinium is highly radioactive and glows in the dark due to its intense radioactivity. Its most stable isotope, actinium-227, has a half-life of 21.8 years and decays into thorium-227 through alpha decay. Actinium has a variety of applications, including in nuclear reactors, cancer treatment, and scientific research.
Properties of Actinium
Here are some properties of actinium:
- Physical state: Actinium is a silvery-white, shiny metal in its pure state.
- Density: Its density is 10.07 g/cm³, which makes it a relatively dense metal.
- Melting and boiling point: The melting point of actinium is 1,050 °C (1,922 °F), and its boiling point is 3,200 °C (5,792 °F).
- Radioactivity: Actinium is highly radioactive and emits alpha particles.
- Oxidation states: Actinium has only one stable oxidation state, +3.
- Reactivity: Actinium is highly reactive and easily oxidized in air and moisture.
- Occurrence: Actinium occurs naturally in uranium ores, but it is a rare element with only 0.2 milligrams per ton of uranium ore.
- Isotopes: Actinium has 36 known isotopes, all of which are radioactive.
Uses of Actinium
Actinium has very limited applications due to its rarity and high radioactivity. However, it has some potential uses in nuclear medicine as an alpha-emitting radioisotope for targeted cancer therapy. Actinium-225, a radioactive isotope of actinium, is used in clinical trials for treating certain types of cancers.
Actinium has also been used in some scientific research as a tracer element to study chemical reactions and processes. Additionally, it can be used as a neutron source in nuclear reactors for scientific experiments and to produce other isotopes.
Symbol of Actinium is Ac
Electronic configuration of Actinium is [Rn] 6d1 7s2.
