Curium(IV) oxide is an
inorganic chemical compound of
curium
Curium is a transuranic, radioactive chemical element with the symbol Cm and atomic number 96. This actinide element was named after eminent scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, both known for their research on radioactivity. Curium was first inte ...
and
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...
with the chemical formula . Since all isotopes of curium are man-made, the compound does not occur in nature.
Synthesis
*Curium(IV) oxide can be prepared directly from the elements. Metallic curium is annealed in air or in an oxygen atmosphere:
::
*
Curium(III) hydroxide and curium(III) oxalate are also usually used for this purpose:
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::
*Another way is the reaction of
curium(III) oxide
Curium(III) oxide is a Chemical compound, compound composed of curium and oxygen with the chemical formula . It is a crystalline solid with a unit cell that contains two curium atoms and three oxygen atoms. The simplest synthesis equation involves ...
in an oxygen atmosphere at 650 °C:
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Physical properties
Curium(IV) oxide forms black crystals. Insoluble in water. The compound crystals are of the
cubic crystal system
In crystallography, the cubic (or isometric) crystal system is a crystal system where the Crystal_structure#Unit_cell, unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals.
There ...
, the fluorite structure in the space group ''Fm''3''m''.
Chemical properties
The compound reacts with mineral acids to form solutions of curium(III) salts.
Uses
The compound is used for the manufacturing of isotopic current sources, also as targets for the synthesis of transcurium elements.
References
{{Oxides
Curium compounds
Oxides