Advertisement

Advertisement

americium

[ am-uh-rish-ee-uhm ]

noun

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


americium

/ 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, 243Am: 7.4 × 10³ years; valency: 2,3,4,5, or 6; relative density: 13.67; melting pt: 1176°C; boiling pt: 2607°C (est)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


americium

/ ăm′ə-rĭshē-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.


Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of americium1

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of americium1

C20: from America (because it was discovered at Berkeley, California) + -ium

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


“America the Beautiful”Americus