Article
Article
Curium
Article By:
Seaborg, Glenn T. Formerly, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California. Nobelist.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.173900
A chemical element, Cm, in the actinide series, with an atomic number of 96. Curium does not exist in the terrestrial environment, but may be produced artificially. The chemical properties of curium are so similar to those of the typical rare earths that, if it were not for its radioactivity, it might easily be mistaken for one of these elements. The known isotopes of curium include mass numbers 238–250. The isotope 244Cm is of particular interest because of its potential use as a compact, thermoelectric power source, through conversion to electrical power of the heat generated by nuclear decay. See also: Periodic table
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