Curium hydroxide Nobel Lectures in Chemistry

Curium hydroxide m(OH)₃is a

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is consi ...

compound first discovered in measurable quantities in 1947. It is composed of a single

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 in ...

atom, and three

hydroxide Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. ...

groups. It was the first curium compound ever isolated. Curium hydroxide is anhydrous colorless or light yellow amorphous gelatinous solid that is insoluble to water. Due to self-irradiation the crystal structure of ²⁴⁴Cm(OH)₃ decomposes within one day, while for americium(III) hydroxide ²⁴¹Am(OH)₃ the same process takes 4-6 months.

References

Curium compounds Hydroxides Substances discovered in the 1940s {{Inorganic-compound-stub

See also

References