Americium (Am) Element Properties
| Atomic Mass |
243 |
| Atomic Number |
95 |
| Name Origins |
Named after the American Continent |
| Year Discovered |
1944 |
| Discovery Credits |
Discovered by G. T. Seaborg, R. A. James, I. O. Morgan, and
A. Ghiorso at Chicago, IL., USA. |
| Remarks |
Radioactive, silvery metal which does not occur naturally. Attacked by
air, steam, and acids, but not alkalis. Commonly used in ionization smoke detectors because of the
alpha decay. |
| References |
Emsley, J., 1991; THE ELEMENTS : Sec. Ed.,
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 251 p. |
| See Also |
WebElements,
ChemiCool |