In this article, discover all the properties, characteristics, and uses that actinium has, which also give this native metallic element possibilities of having great applications in the medical industry, at NASA, and in geology.
What is actinium?
Actinium (Ac) chemical element, is considered a silvery-white native metal and is known for its high radioactivity and because it is one of the main components of radioactive elements in the periodic table along with uranium, in fact, where there is uranium there is Actinium.
Because this element is not very abundant in the earth’s crust, and this has meant that, throughout history, since its discovery it has not had relevant uses or applications, in industries such as industrial or commercial.
In fact, actinium is so scarce that only 0.2 mg of the element can be extracted from a ton of uranium ore.
However, thanks to technological advances and exhaustive scientific research that is developing and leaps and bounds, actinium is currently finding uses and applications in the medical and industrial fields such as in the enhancement of NASA spacecraft.
Characteristics and properties of actinium
| Chemical formula | Ac (actinium) |
| class, group | metallic native element |
| Other classification | metallic native mineral |
| Atomic number | 89 |
| Atomic weight | 227 |
| Melting point | 1324 K (1051 °C or 1924 °F) |
| Boiling point | 3471 K (3198 °C or 5788 °F) |
| Density | 10.07 gr/cm3 grams per cubic centimeter |
| phase at room temperature | solid |
| Element Classification | metal |
| period number | 7 |
| group number | none |
| Group name | actinide |
| special notes | radioactive element |
| Estimated bark abundance | 5.5 ×10-10 milligrams per kilogram |
| Estimated ocean abundance | not applicable |
| Number of stable isotopes | 0 |
| ionization energy | 5.17 eV |
| oxidation states | +3 |
This mineral is considered part of the native elements, it is characterized by having a high melting and boiling point, also because it is part of the minerals or radioactive elements that occur in nature.
Despite being a radioactive mineral, it has an acceptable average life of around 21.77 years, which is of great importance to be applied especially in the medicine industry.
Actinium Uses
Uses for cancer treatment
Because actinium is obtained by the process of irradiation with radio isotopes (226 Ra) and neutrons in nuclear reactors, the resultant can easily be converted into a source of its own neutrons that can be used or applied in radiotherapy and treatment. of cancer.
Medical uses
Thanks to the fact that actinium has at least 150 times more radioactivity than Radium (Ra), it makes it very attractive to be investigated in the area of medicine in possible treatments against cancer that are more effective.
Uses for NASA spacecraft
Just as importantly, actinium is incredibly radioactive and scientists see the potential this metal holds in creating future radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which can be effectively used by spacecraft for increased power in space and takeoffs.
To calculate vertical mixing in the ocean
It has been identified that the only natural isotope of actinium is (227 Ac), and it is characterized by having a half-life of up to 21.77 years, this makes it suitable for use in oceanic waters to estimate and calculate the vertical mixing rates, an important process in limnology.
Other uses and applications
Actinium oxidizes rapidly in the presence of oxygen and moisture, and it is in this state that the vast majority of its chemical compounds are produced. Pressed beryllium(227Ac) oxide, often referred to as AcBe, is also an efficient neutron source with an activity superior to that of the standard americium-beryllium and radium-beryllium pairs. Neutron probes based on BeAc are used to measure the presence and density of water in soil, in neutron radiography, and in other radiochemical testing applications.
Although these compounds are easily achievable in the laboratory, they are generally used solely for research purposes with few commercial applications.