What is Actinium?
Actinium is the first element in a group of elements called actinides. All 36 forms of actinium that we know of are radioactive. Ac 227 and 228 are naturally occurring isotopes with half-lives of 21.77 years and 6.13 hours, respectively. It gives off 150 times as much radiation as radium does. It’s bad for your health. If it is eaten, it builds up in the liver and bones and causes damage to the cells because it is radioactive.
- Actinium has the number 89 on the periodic table, which means it is a radioactive element.
- It looks like silver metal from the outside.
- It can be found in small amounts in most uranium ores.
- This metal glows blue in the dark because it has a lot of radioactivity.
- It also has some of the same properties as lanthanum.
Actinium
| Symbol | Ac |
| Atomic Number | 89 |
| Atomic Mass | 227 g mol -1 |
| Discovered by | Andre Debierne in 1899 |
Element Information
| Group | Actinides | Melting point | 1050°C, 1922°F, 1323 K |
| Period | 7 | Boiling point | 3200°C, 5792°F, 3473 K |
| Block | d | Density (g cm−3) | Unknown |
| Atomic number | 89 | Relative atomic mass | [227] |
| State at 20°C | Solid | Key isotopes | 227Ac |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 6d17s2 | CAS number | 7440-34-8 |
| ChemSpider ID | 22404 | ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database |
Properties of Actinium
- This radioactive element reacts with oxygen to make actinium oxide, which looks like a thin white coating. So, it stops the metal from getting any more oxidized.
- When the actinium ions are in a solution, they have no color. It is one of the radioactive elements with the most power.
Uses of Actinium
It can be found in uranium ores. It is a rare free element in the crust of the earth. Most of the time, it is made in a lab.
- It is one of the best places to get alpha rays.
- Ac 225 is used as a radiation therapy agent in the medical field.
- It is very useful as a source of neutrons because it is one hundred and fifty times more radioactive than radium.
- Ac doesn’t have a lot of important uses in the industrial world.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
Q.1 What is actinium used for?
Actinium is used as a radiation therapy agent in the medical field. It can be found in uranium ores. It is very useful as a source of neutrons because it is one fifty times more radioactive than radium.
Q.2 How dangerous is actinium?
Alpha rays are given off by actinium, which is a radioactive element. So it is poisonous in the wild. It is only used to learn more about things.
Q.3 Is actinium an actinide?
Actinium is the first actinide. It has the same chemical properties as Lanthanum, even though it doesn’t have any 5f electrons.
Q.4 What are the interesting facts about Actinium?
The word “actinium” comes from two Greek words that mean “beam” or “ray.” Because it is so radioactive, actinium gives off a bright blue light when it is dark. In 1899, André Debierne was the one who found it. There are 36 isotopes of it, and none of them are stable.
Q.5 Is actinium rare or common?
The rare element is actinium. It can be found in small amounts in uranium ore, but it is more often made when 226-Ra is hit by neutrons in a nuclear reactor.
