96Cm Curium

Description

Named after Pierre and Marie Curie, curium is a silvery, radioactive metal. It is a chemically active metal, reacting with air, water and acids but not bases. It has never been found naturally, but several kilograms are produced each year. Currently, curium is only used in research, but it has potential as a portable heat and power source. The spectrometer carried by the robotic Sojourner rover on Mars used curium as a source of alpha particles. The most stable isotope of curium has a half-life of 15,600,000 years.

Biological Benefits

Curium has no biological use.

Role in Life Processes

No known benefits to life processes in plants and animals.

Sources

Curium is obtained by particle bombardment of plutonium.