Curium (Cm)
actinideSolid
Peso atómico estándar
[247]Configuración electrónica
[Rn] 7s2 5f7 6d1Punto de fusión
1344,85 °CPunto de ebullición
3126,85 °CDensidad
1,351e+4 kg/m³Estados de oxidación
+3, +4, +5, +6Electronegatividad (Pauling)
1,3Energía de ionización (1.ª)
5,992241 eVAño de descubrimiento
1944Radio atómico
N/DDetalles
Curium is a synthetic transuranium actinide named for Marie and Pierre Curie. It is produced in nuclear reactors by successive neutron capture in plutonium and americium, and all of its isotopes are radioactive. Chemically it is a typical later actinide, dominated by the +3 oxidation state in water and by compounds resembling those of americium and the lanthanides. Its most important practical feature is the intense alpha emission of selected isotopes, especially ²⁴⁴Cm.
Curium does not occur naturally in the Earth’s crust. It was first synthesized in 1944 by Glenn T. Seaborg and his team at the University of California in Berkeley using the reaction 239Pu (4He, n) 242Cm. The element was named after Pierre and Marie Curie, who discovered radium and polonium.
Minute amounts of curium probably exist in natural deposits of uranium, as a result of a sequence of neutron captures and beta decays sustained by the very low flux of neutrons naturally present in uranium ores. The presence of natural curium, however, has never been detected. 242Cm and 244Cm are available in multigram quantities. 248Cm has been produced only in milligram amounts. Curium is similar in some regards to gadolinium, its rare earth homolog, but it has a more complex crystal structure. Curium metal is lustrous, malleable, silver in color, chemically reactive, and is more electropositive than aluminum. Curium metal exist in two crystal forms, a double hexagonal close packed (dhcp) and a high temperature face-centered cubic close packed (fcc) structure. Metallic curium dissolves rapidly in dilute acid to form Cm(III) solutions. Curium metal surfaces rapidly oxidize in air to form a thin film possibly starting out as CmO, Oxidation then progressing to Cm2O3, and eventually to form stable CmO2. Note however that the formation of divalent compounds of curium such as CmO have never been observed in bulk form. Most compounds and solutions of trivalent curium are quite stable and are faintly yellow or yellow-green in color. The stability of the trivalent state for curium is attributed to the half-filled 5f7 electron shell configuration. Curium in the tetravalent state is meta-stable in concentrated fluoride solutions but very stable in the solid state, primarily as the oxides and fluorides. Because curium isotopes are available in macro quantities a number of curium compounds have been prepared and characterized with the majority in the trivalent state.
242Cm generates about three watts of thermal energy per gram. This compares to one-half watt per gram of 238Pu. Both 242Cm and 244Cm have been used as power sources for space and medical uses. 244Cm is now offered for sale at $100/mg. Curium absorbed into the body accumulates in the bones, and is therefore very toxic as its radiation destroys the red-cell forming mechanism. The maximum permissible total body burden of 244Cm (soluble) in a human being is 0.3 microcurie.
This element reviewed and Updated by Dr. David Hobart, 2011
Curium was first produced by Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James and Albert Ghiorso, working at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1944. They bombarded atoms of plutonium-239, an isotope of plutonium, with alpha particles that had been accelerated in a device called a cyclotron. This produced atoms of curium-242 and one free neutron. Curium-242 has a half-life of about 163 days and decays into plutonium-238 through alpha decay or decays through spontaneous fission. Curium's most stable isotope, curium-247, has a half-life of about 15,600,000 years. It decays into plutonium-243 through alpha decay.
Although curium follows americium in the periodic system, it was actually the third transuranium element to be discovered. It was identified by Seaborg, James, and Ghiorso in 1944 at the wartime metallurgical laboratory at the University of Chicago as a result of helium-ion bombardment of 239Pu in the Berkeley, California, 60-inch cyclotron. Visible amounts (30 µg) of 242Cm, in the form of the hydroxide, were first isolated by Werner and Perlman of the University of California in 1947. In 1950, Crane, Wallmann, and Cunningham found that the magnetic susceptibility of microgram samples of CmF3 was of the same magnitude as that of GdF3. This provided direct experimental evidence for assigning an electronic configuration to Cm+3. In 1951, the same workers prepared curium in its elemental form for the first time. Fourteen isotopes of curium are now known ranging in mass from 237 to 251. The most stable, 247Cm, with a half-life of 16 million years, is so short compared to the earth's age that any primordial curium must have disappeared long ago from the natural scene.
Curium has been prepared as a metallic element in small amounts. The metal is described as silvery and lustrous when freshly prepared, but it is highly radioactive and self-heating in appreciable quantities. Handling is normally confined to sealed or shielded laboratory forms rather than visible bulk pieces.
Curium has no broad commercial use as an element. ²⁴⁴Cm and related isotopes are used as compact alpha-particle sources, most notably in alpha particle X-ray spectrometers that determine the elemental composition of rocks and soils on planetary missions. Curium also serves as a target material for producing heavier actinides and transactinide elements in research reactors and particle accelerators. Some isotope heat-source applications have been investigated, but they are not a general industrial use.
Since only milligram amounts of curium have ever been produced, there are currently no commercial applications for it, although it might be used in radioisotope thermoelectric generators in the future. Curium is primarily used for basic scientific research.
Scientists have produced several curium compounds. They include: curium dioxide (CmO2), curium trioxide (Cm2O3), curium bromide (CmBr3), curium chloride (CmCl3), curium chloride (CmCl3), curium tetrafluoride (CmF4) and curium iodide (CmI3). As with the element, the compounds currently have no commercial applications and are primarily used for basic scientific research.
Isotopes in Industry
244Cm and 242Cm (with half-lives of 18.1 years and 163 days, respectively) are strong alpha emitters (see alpha decay). The alpha emission from these isotopes creates a considerable quantity of heat that makes them useful as alpha particle sources, as well as heat generators in RTGs (radioisotopic thermoelectric generators) [75] J. Peterson, M. McDonell, L. Haroun, F. Monette, R. D. Hildebrand, A. Taboas. Radiological and Chemical Fact Sheets to Support Health Risk Analyses for Contaminated Areas, Prepared by Argonne National Laboratory Environmental Science Division in collaboration with U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office and Chicago Operations Office (2014), Feb. 22; http://www.remm.nlm.gov/ANL_ContaminantFactSheets_All_070418.pdf.. During a number of space missions based in America and Europe, 244Cm was the source used for the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer that was on board vehicles such as the Mars Exploration Rover and the Rosetta/Philae [75] J. Peterson, M. McDonell, L. Haroun, F. Monette, R. D. Hildebrand, A. Taboas. Radiological and Chemical Fact Sheets to Support Health Risk Analyses for Contaminated Areas, Prepared by Argonne National Laboratory Environmental Science Division in collaboration with U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office and Chicago Operations Office (2014), Feb. 22; http://www.remm.nlm.gov/ANL_ContaminantFactSheets_All_070418.pdf., [618] Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Curium, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (2016), October 10; http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/96/curium.. 244Cm has a large neutron capture to neutron fission cross-section ratio and has been used in a nuclear reactor to produce higher mass radio-isotopes of curium (Fig. IUPAC.96.1) [75] J. Peterson, M. McDonell, L. Haroun, F. Monette, R. D. Hildebrand, A. Taboas. Radiological and Chemical Fact Sheets to Support Health Risk Analyses for Contaminated Areas, Prepared by Argonne National Laboratory Environmental Science Division in collaboration with U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office and Chicago Operations Office (2014), Feb. 22; http://www.remm.nlm.gov/ANL_ContaminantFactSheets_All_070418.pdf., [618] Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Curium, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (2016), October 10; http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/96/curium..
Curium chemistry is centered on Cm³⁺ in aqueous solution, where its salts often show strong orange to yellow luminescence useful in spectroscopic studies. Representative compounds include curium(III) oxide, Cm₂O₃, curium dioxide, CmO₂, curium(III) fluoride, CmF₃, and curium(III) chloride, CmCl₃. The +4 state is accessible in some solids such as dioxide and fluoride systems, but it is less stable in ordinary aqueous chemistry. Higher oxidation states have been reported only under specialized conditions and are not central to curium chemistry.
See more information at the Curium compound page.
Curium is a severe radiological hazard. Most accessible isotopes emit alpha particles, which are readily stopped outside the body but dangerous if curium is inhaled, ingested, or enters wounds. Some isotopes and decay products also produce gamma radiation or neutrons, especially where spontaneous fission is significant. Milligram quantities can generate noticeable heat. Work requires contamination control, shielding appropriate to the isotope mixture, and remote handling for larger sources.
Curium is not a naturally cycling element in any significant sense. Trace amounts can be formed in nuclear explosions, reactor fuel, and other intense neutron fields, and it occurs in spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. In the environment it tends to bind strongly to mineral surfaces, organic matter, and fine particles, while its mobility depends on acidity, complexing ligands, and redox conditions. Its ecological significance is mainly radiological rather than nutritional or geochemical.
Curium has no commodity market. It is obtained only in specialized nuclear programs by irradiating actinide targets, followed by difficult radiochemical separation from chemically similar transuranium elements and fission products. Supply is constrained by reactor capacity, target availability, isotope purity requirements, heat generation, and radiation shielding. Recovered curium is allocated mainly to research, source fabrication, and production of heavier elements. Recycling is possible within nuclear laboratories but is not comparable to industrial metal recycling.
Made by bombarding plutonium with helium ions. So radioactive it glows in the dark.
Curium is not a primordial cosmic element because all known isotopes have half-lives far shorter than the age of the Solar System. It can be made in very small amounts by rapid neutron-capture processes in extreme astrophysical events, but any such curium decays away on geological timescales. Present curium in the Solar System is therefore artificial, apart from possible transient atoms in unusual natural nuclear environments.
- ²⁴⁴Cm is a common laboratory curium isotope because it combines useful alpha emission with a manageable half-life.
- Curium’s strong radioactivity can damage its own crystal lattice over time.
- The element was first identified during wartime transuranium research before it was publicly announced.
- Curium targets have been used in attempts to synthesize still heavier elements.
- Cm³⁺ luminescence is unusually useful for studying actinide coordination chemistry.
Imágenes
Propiedades
Físicas
- Radio covalente
- 169 pm Comparar Radio covalente de todos los elementos →
- Radio de van der Waals
- 245 pm Comparar Radio de van der Waals de todos los elementos →
- Densidad
- 1,351 × 104 kg/m³ Comparar Densidad de todos los elementos →
- Volumen molar
- 0,01828 L/mol
- Fase en CNPT
- Sólido Comparar Fase en CNPT de todos los elementos →
- Punto de fusión
- 1344,85 °C Comparar Punto de fusión de todos los elementos →
- Punto de ebullición
- 3126,85 °C Comparar Punto de ebullición de todos los elementos →
Químicas
- Electronegatividad (Pauling)
- 1,3 Comparar Electronegatividad (Pauling) de todos los elementos →
- Afinidad electrónica
- 0,277 eV
- Energía de ionización (1.ª)
- 5,992241 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (1.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (2.ª)
- 12,400043 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (2.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (3.ª)
- 20,100069 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (3.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (4.ª)
- 37,70013 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (4.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Energía de ionización (5.ª)
- 51,000176 eV Comparar Energía de ionización (5.ª) de todos los elementos →
- Estados de oxidación
- +3, +4, +5, +6 Comparar Estados de oxidación de todos los elementos →
- Electrones de valencia
- 3 Comparar Electrones de valencia de todos los elementos →
- Configuración electrónica
- [Rn] 7s2 5f7 6d1
Termodinámicas
- Calor de sublimación
- 4,145722 eV
- Calor de atomización
- 4,145722 eV
- Entalpía de atomización
- 4,000622 eV
Nucleares
- Protones
- 96 Comparar Protones de todos los elementos →
- Neutrones
- 151 Comparar Neutrones de todos los elementos →
- Isótopos conocidos
- 22 Comparar Isótopos conocidos de todos los elementos →
- Isótopos estables
- 0 Comparar Isótopos estables de todos los elementos →
- Número másico (isótopo más estable)
- 247
- Isótopo más estable
- Cm-247
- Año de descubrimiento
- 1944
Abundancia
N/D
Estructura cristalina
N/D
Estructura electrónica
- Electrones por capa
- 2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 9, 2 Comparar Electrones por capa de todos los elementos →
Identificadores
- Número CAS
- 7440-51-9 Comparar Número CAS de todos los elementos →
- Símbolo del término
- 9D°2
- InChI
- InChI=1S/Cm
- Clave InChI
- NIWWFAAXEMMFMS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Configuración electrónica Medido
Cm: 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s²[Rn] 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s²1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p⁶ 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p⁶ 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s²Modelo atómico
Los isótopos cambian el número de neutrones, la masa y la estabilidad, pero no la configuración electrónica de un átomo neutro.
Modelo atómico esquemático, no a escala.
Huella atómica
Espectro de emisión / absorción
Distribución isotópica
No hay isótopos estables.
| Número másico | Masa atómica (u) | Abundancia natural | Periodo de semidesintegración |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 Radiactivo | 250,078358 ± 0,000012 | N/D | 8300 años |
| 248 Radiactivo | 248,0723499 ± 0,0000056 | N/D | 348 ky |
| 242 Radiactivo | 242,058836 ± 0,0000019 | N/D | 162.8 días |
| 249 Radiactivo | 249,0759548 ± 0,0000056 | N/D | 64.15 minutos |
| 234 Radiactivo | 234,05016 ± 0,00002 | N/D | 52 segundos |
Fase / Estado
Motivo: 3101,8 °C por debajo del punto de sublimación (3126,85 °C)
Esquemático, no a escala
Puntos de transición de fase
Energías de transición
Energía necesaria para sublimar 1 mol en el punto de sublimación
Densidad
En condiciones estándar
En condiciones estándar
Espectros atómicos
Se muestran 10 de 96. Ordenado por carga del ion (ascendente).
Líneas disponibles ?
| Ion | Carga | Total de líneas | Probabilidades de transición | Designaciones de los niveles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cm I | 0 | 140 | 0 | 0 |
| Cm II | +1 | 32 | 0 | 0 |
Niveles disponibles ?
| Ion | Carga | Niveles |
|---|---|---|
| Cm I | 0 | 2 |
| Cm II | +1 | 2 |
| Cm III | +2 | 2 |
| Cm IV | +3 | 2 |
| Cm V | +4 | 2 |
| Cm VI | +5 | 2 |
| Cm VII | +6 | 2 |
| Cm VIII | +7 | 2 |
| Cm IX | +8 | 2 |
| Cm X | +9 | 2 |
No hay datos disponibles sobre la estructura cristalina
Radios iónicos
| Carga | Coordinación | Espín | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|
| +3 | 6 | N/D | 97 pm |
| +3 | 9 | N/D | 114.7 pm |
| +4 | 6 | N/D | 85 pm |
| +4 | 8 | N/D | 95 pm |
Compuestos
Isótopos (5)
| Número másico | Masa atómica (u) | Abundancia natural | Periodo de semidesintegración | Modo de desintegración | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 Radiactivo | 250,078358 ± 0,000012 | N/D | 8300 años | SF ≈74%α ?β- ? | |
| 248 Radiactivo | 248,0723499 ± 0,0000056 | N/D | 348 ky | α =91.61±1.6%SF =8.39±1.6%2β- ? | |
| 242 Radiactivo | 242,058836 ± 0,0000019 | N/D | 162.8 días | α =100%SF =6.2e-6±0.3%34Si =1.1e-14±0.4% | |
| 249 Radiactivo | 249,0759548 ± 0,0000056 | N/D | 64.15 minutos | β- =100% | |
| 234 Radiactivo | 234,05016 ± 0,00002 | N/D | 52 segundos | β+ ≈71%α ≈27%SF ≈2% |
Propiedades ampliadas
Radios covalentes (ampliados)
- Radio covalente (Pyykkö)
- 166 pm
- Radio covalente (Pyykkö, enlace doble)
- 136 pm
Radios de van der Waals
- Alvarez
- 305 pm
- UFF
- 332,6 pm
Radios atómicos y metálicos
- Radio atómico (Rahm)
- 276 pm
Escalas de numeración
- Mendeleev
- 28
- Pettifor
- 41
- Glawe
- 40
Escalas de electronegatividad
- Ghosh
- 0
Polarizabilidad y dispersión
- Polarizabilidad dipolar
- 144 a.u.
- Polarizabilidad dipolar (incert.)
- 25 a.u.
Transiciones de fase y alótropos
| Punto de fusión | 1618,15 K |
Categorías de estados de oxidación
Datos de referencia avanzados
Detalle de los radios cristalinos (4)
| Carga | CN | Espín | rcrystal (pm) | Origen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | VI | 111 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 4 | VI | 99 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 4 | VIII | 109 | from r^3 vs V plots, | |
| 3 | IX | — | 128,7 |
Modos de desintegración de los isótopos (50)
| Isótopo | Modo | Intensidad |
|---|---|---|
| 231 | B+ | — |
| 231 | A | — |
| 232 | B+ | — |
| 232 | A | — |
| 233 | A | 20% |
| 233 | B+ | 80% |
| 234 | B+ | 71% |
| 234 | A | 27% |
| 234 | SF | 2% |
| 235 | B+ | — |
Datos adicionales
Estimated Crustal Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's crust.
Not Applicable
Referencias (1)
Estimated Oceanic Abundance
The estimated element abundance in the earth's oceans.
Not Applicable
Referencias (1)
Referencias
(9)
Data deposited in or computed by PubChem
The half-life and atomic mass data was provided by the Atomic Mass Data Center at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Element data are cited from the Atomic weights of the elements (an IUPAC Technical Report). The IUPAC periodic table of elements can be found at https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/. Additional information can be found within IUPAC publication doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0703 Copyright © 2020 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
The information are cited from Pure Appl. Chem. 2018; 90(12): 1833-2092, https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703.
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The periodic table at the LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory) contains basic element information together with the history, source, properties, use, handling and more. The provenance data may be found from the link under the source name.
The periodic table contains NIST's critically-evaluated data on atomic properties of the elements. The provenance data that include data for atomic spectroscopy, X-ray and gamma ray, radiation dosimetry, nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics may be found from the link under the source name. Ref: https://www.nist.gov/pml/atomic-spectra-database
This section provides all form of data related to element Curium.
The element property data was retrieved from publications.