Actinium This presentation created by Michael LeFew

Uses and Properties The melting point of actinium is 1050o Celsius, 1323.15o Kelvin, and 1922o Fahrenheit. It’s boiling point is 3200o Celsius, 3473.15o Kelvin, and 5792o Fahrenheit. The density of Actinium is 10.07 grams per centimeter. Actinium is a decay product of Uranium. Actinium is a silvery rare earth with a cubic crystal structure. Actinium’s chemical behavior is similar to rare earths, particularly lanthnum. It is dangerously radioactive, 150X as radioactive as radium, making it a valuable source of neutrons and creates an glowing blue light. Actinium is also used to create thermoelectric power. Other than this, actinium has no other uses, though actinium 225 os used in a certain medicine in a generator to create Bi-213 or alone for radio-immunotherapy. Actinium has so very few uses because it is found only in trace amounts in uranium:1 ton uranium = 1/10gram actinium.

Where to Find Actinium The name Actinium comes from the Greek word aktis or aktinos, meaning beam or ray. It was discovered in 1899 by Andre’ Louis Debierne, a French chemist who separated it from pitchblende. Natural Actinium is found in minimum amount in uranium ore as Actinium 227. More often, it is made in milligram amounts in a nuclear reactor from Radium 226. It glows in the dark in a bluish light.

An Ode to Actinium It’s number eighty-nine, I hope you that don’t get too close, An element so fine. If ever your in a dark cave. 150X as radioactive as radium, And you see a blue light. Its actinium. In a place they say will fright, For it may be actinium. It’s a great source of neutrons. In it’s outer shell there’s two electrons. You’ll find a tenth of a gram of actinium, In one ton of uranium. A French chemist found it one day. It was given a name meaning beam or ray. With lanthanum it shares chemical behavior. It’s a rare earth with a cubic crystal structure.

Sources l http://www.webelements.com/webelements/scholar/elements/periodic-table/uses.html http://chemistry.about.com/library/blper5.htm http://www.chemicalelements.com/index.html www.theodoregray.com http://www.lenntech.com/Periodic-chart-elements/Ac-en.htm http://www.periodic.lanl.gov/element/89.html