Actinium Pinyin ā.
1. Actinium is a radioactive metallic element, symbolized as Ac. Actinium belongs to the lanthanide family of elements, and has an atomic number of 89 and an atomic weight of 227. Actinium was discovered in 1899, and it is mainly found in the mines of uranium and thorium, as a decay product of radioactivity.
2. Actinium means "Agallus" and is also known as the Curies in honor of French physicists and chemists Pierre Curie and Marie Curie.
3. As a radioactive element, actinium has unique physical and chemical properties. Actinium has a low atomic number but a high atomic mass because its nucleus contains two protons and three neutrons. These neutrons make the nucleus of actinium very unstable and susceptible to radioactive decay.
4. The common isotopes of actinium are Ac-227, Ac-228 and Ac-229. The chemical properties of actinium are similar to those of lanthanum, and it can form alloys with barium, copper, silver, gold and other metals.
5. Due to the high radioactivity of actinium, it is considered to be a harmful substance to the human body. Actinium is found in the environment mainly in uranium and thorium ores and spreads into the surrounding environment with dust and rain.
5. Once actinium enters the human body, it emits high-energy rays, which can cause damage to tissues and cells, thus causing a variety of diseases, such as cancer and genetic mutations. Therefore, strict safety measures and protective equipment are needed in the production and handling of actinium.
6. In addition to its effects on human health, actinium is also used in the nuclear energy and medical fields. Actinium can be used to make fissile material in nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. Actinium-227 is one of the commonly used materials in radioisotope decay studies because of its long half-life and high energy ray emissivity.
7. Actinium is also used in the treatment of cancer and in the preparation of radioactive tracers. However, due to its high hazardous nature and potential health risks, the use and production of actinium is subject to strict safety regulations and management.
8. The history of the discovery and study of actinium is closely related to that of radium. in 1898, Mr. and Mrs. Curie discovered the element radium and studied its radioactivity. Subsequently, they discovered that radium can decay into a new element osmium (Actinium).