ActinideActinides in the periodic tableThe actinide () or actinoid () series encompasses at least the 14 metallic chemical elements in the 5f series, with atomic numbers from 89 to 102, actinium through to nobelium. Number 103, lawrencium, is also generally included despite being part of the 6d transition series. The actinide series derives its name from the first element in the series, actinium.
IsotopeIsotopes are distinct nuclear species (or nuclides) of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemical element), but different nucleon numbers (mass numbers) due to different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei. While all isotopes of a given element have virtually the same chemical properties, they have different atomic masses and physical properties.
Nuclear reactorDevice for controlled nuclear reactionsFrom top, left to right Chicago Pile-1, the first artificial nuclear reactorShippingport Atomic Power Station, the first peacetime reactorHTR-10, a prototype to the first Generation IV reactor, HTR-PMThe Convair NB-36H, the first aircraft to test an onboard reactorOperation Sea Orbit, the first nuclear-powered surface vessel circumnavigationThe Chernobyl sarcophagus, built to contain the effects of the 1986 disasterA nuclear reactor is a device used to sustain a controlled fissionnuclear chain reaction.
Synthetic elementA synthetic element is a known chemical element that does not occur naturally on Earth: it has been created by human manipulation of fundamental particles in a nuclear reactor, a particle accelerator, or the explosion of an atomic bomb; thus, it is called "synthetic", "artificial", or "man-made". The synthetic elements are those with atomic numbers 95–118, as shown in purple on the accompanying periodic table: these 24 elements were first created between 1944 and 2010.
Ivy MikeIvy Mike was the codename given to the first full-yield test of a multi-stage thermonuclear device, also known as the Teller–Ulam design. Ivy Mike was detonated on November 1, 1952, by the United States on the island of Elugelab in Enewetak Atoll, Pacific Proving Grounds, as part of Operation Ivy.
Atomic numberThe atomic number or nuclear charge number (symbol Z, from the German Zahl, "number") of a chemical element is the charge number of its atomic nucleus. For ordinary nuclei composed of protons and neutrons, this is equal to the proton number (np) or the number of protons found in the nucleus of every atom of that element. The atomic number can be used to uniquely identify ordinary chemical elements.
CaliforniumDy↑Cf↓—berkelium ← californium → einsteinium
Half-lifeHalf-life (symbol t½) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable atoms survive. The term is also used more generally to characterize any type of exponential (or, rarely, non-exponential) decay.Transuranium elementThe transuranium (or transuranic) elements are the chemical elements with atomic number greater than 92, which is the atomic number of uranium. All of them are radioactively unstable and decay into other elements. They are synthetic and none occur naturally on Earth, except for neptunium and plutonium which have been found in trace amounts in naturally occurring uranium ore.
MendeleviumTm↑Md↓—fermium ← mendelevium → nobeliumOxidation stateIn chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical charge of an atom assuming all of its bonds to other atoms are fully ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom in a chemical compound. Conceptually, the oxidation state may be positive, negative or zero. In a binary compound like KCl, oxidation state of +1 for K implies it has donated an electron Cl, which will have an oxidation state of -1.
Chemical symbolChemical symbols are the abbreviations used in chemistry, mainly for chemical elements, but also for functional groups, chemical compounds, and other entities. Element symbols for chemical elements, also known as atomic symbols, normally consist of one or two letters from the Latin alphabet and are written with the first letter capitalised. HistoryEarlier symbols for chemical elements stem from classical Latin and Greek words.
WattThe watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m⋅s. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor of James Watt (1736–1819), an 18th-century Scottishinventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who in 1776 improved the Newcomen engine with his own steam engine, which became fundamental for the Industrial Revolution.
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