95AmAmericium243[Rn] 5f⁷ 7s²
actinide

Americium

Americium is a radioactive transuranic chemical element with symbol Am and atomic number 95. This member of the actinide series is located in the periodic table under the lanthanide element europium, and thus by analogy was named after the Americas. Americium was first produced in 1944 by the group of Glenn T.Seaborg from Berkeley, California, at the metallurgical laboratory of University of Chicago.

Electronic structure

A stylized shell model. Electrons are quantum objects, not particles following these literal paths. Sizes and motion are illustrative.

Electrons by shell
Electron configuration
5f7
7s2

86 is the [Rn] core total across six shells.

Properties

At a glance

Atomic number
95
Atomic mass
243 u
Phase
Solid
Density
12 g/cm³
Melting point
1,449 K
Boiling point
2,880 K
First ionization energy
578 kJ/mol
Electronegativity
1.13
Electron affinity
9.93 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity
62.7 J/(mol·K)
Period
7
Appearance
silvery white

Conditions and isotopes affect measured properties. Some properties of short-lived elements are predicted. Electronegativity uses the Pauling scale.

Keep exploring

Explore the stories, imagery, and reference data in more depth. Properties with no value in the reference are marked unavailable.