Chemical Element: americium
(Modern Latin: chemical element; a form of America; radioactive metal)
Chemical-Element Information
Symbol: AmAtomic number: 95
Year discovered: 1944
Discovered by: Glenn Theodore Seaborg (1912-1999), American physicist; and co-workers, Albert Ghiorso (born July 15, 1915), Ralph A. James, and Leon O. Morgan at the war-time Metallurgical Laboratory of The University of Chicago.
- Seaborg, and his co-workers, suggested the name americium, after the Americas; since its rare-earth homologue, europium, had been named for Europe.
- It is used as the starting material for the production of curium, which is used in isotope power sources.
Name in other languages:
French: américium
German: Americium
Italian: americio
Spanish: americio
Information about other elements may be seen at this Chemical Elements List.
A special unit about words that include chemo-, chem- may be seen here.