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americium

   Also found in: Medical, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
am·er·i·ci·um  (m-rsh-m)
n. Symbol Am
A white metallic transuranic element of the actinide series, having isotopes with mass numbers from 237 to 246 and half-lives from 25 minutes to 7,950 years. Its longest-lived isotopes, Am 241 and Am 243, are alpha-ray emitters used as radiation sources in research. Atomic number 95; specific gravity 11.7; valence 3, 4, 5, 6. See Table at element.

[After America.]

americium
Noun
Chem a white metallic element artificially produced from plutonium Symbol: Am[from America (where it was first produced)]

americium  (m-rsh-m)
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. See Periodic Table.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.americium - a radioactive transuranic metallic element; discovered by bombarding uranium with helium atoms
metal, metallic element - any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.


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They last only 10 years and contain radioactive Americium 241, so send dead ones back to the manufacturer.
To create them, scientists slammed atoms of calcium and americium together at about 32,000 kilometers per second (20,000 miles per second) using a particle accelerator machine.
" It found that the levels of plutonium and radioactive americium "detected at Lowry Landfill are 10 to 10,000 times greater than the average or maximum background levels reported for Rocky Flats," the notorious nuclear weapons plant near Boulder.
 
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