Curium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with symbol Cm and atomic number 96. This element of the actinide series was named after Marie and Pierre Curie – both were known for their research on radioactivity. Curium was first intentionally produced and identified in July 1944 by the group of Glenn T. Seaborg at the University of California, Berkeley.
Three reasons Curium stands out
- 1
Synthetic element, named after famous polish-french female chemist.
- 2
It is so intensely radioactive that a visible sample glows red in the dark from its own heat.
- 3
It has been used as a power source in X-ray spectrometers on Mars rovers to analyse the composition of rocks.
An element named for two scientific lives
Curium honors Marie and Pierre Curie, whose work transformed the study of radioactivity. It is made by bombarding lighter actinides with neutrons or charged particles and generates substantial heat as it decays. Curium sources have helped instruments on Mars analyze rocks by X-ray spectroscopy.