On this date in 1945 the discovery of the element americium was announced. Here are 10 facts about the element.
Americium is a synthetic, silvery radioactive metal belonging to the actinide series. It has the symbol Am and the atomic number 95.
Its Melting point is 1449 K (1176 °C, 2149 °F) and its boiling point has been calculated to be 2880 K (2607 °C, 4725 °F).
It is called americium because of its location in the periodic table, where it is located under the lanthanide element europium.
It is not found naturally but rather is produced by bombarding Plutonium with neutrons in nuclear reactors or during nuclear weapons tests.
It was first produced in 1944 by a team from the University of California, Berkeley, led by one Glenn T. Seaborg, as part of the Manhattan Project.
Since there was a war on at the time, the discovery was classified until the war was over. The first members of the public to learn of it were mostly kids. Five days before the official announcement, a listener to the American radio show for children, Quiz Kids, asked Seaborg a question about whether any new elements had been discovered during the war, and he told the kids about it.
It’s radioactive and therefore harmful to health, but in small amounts it does have its uses. There’s probably a tiny amount in your smoke alarm. The amount of americium in a typical new smoke detector is 1 microcurie (37 kBq) or 0.29 microgram. It is a source of gamma radiation and therefore has some medical uses, and can be used to gauge glass thickness to help create flat glass. It has been speculated that it would also come in handy as an active element of radioisotope thermoelectric generators, for example in spacecraft.
In 1994, David Hahn, aged 17, extracted the americium from about 100 smoke detectors in an attempt to build a breeder nuclear reactor.
If any is leaking into rivers from smoke alarms in landfill, there are solutions being considered to get rid of it. There are species of bacteria and fungi which absorb it.
The worst case of exposure to date, however, was that of a chemical operations technician called Harold McCluskey, who, at the age of 64 was exposed to 500 times the occupational standard for americium-241 as a result of an explosion in his lab. Neither the explosion or the americium killed him, though. He died at the age of 75 of unrelated pre-existing disease.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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