Americium

radioactive · human-made · chemistry

Scientists created it. Americium doesn't exist in nature, it was made by scientists in laboratories. This makes it a synthetic element, meaning humans invented it by combining other elements.

Radioactive and glowing. Americium is radioactive, which means it's unstable and gives off energy as it breaks down over time. This radioactivity is actually useful in some everyday things like smoke detectors.

Named after Americas. Scientists named it americium because it was discovered in the Americas and because another similar element (europium) was named after Europe. They wanted to follow the same naming pattern.

Heavy element. Americium is element number 95 on the periodic table, which means each of its atoms has 95 protons. It belongs to a special group called the actinides, which are among the heaviest elements.

Used in detectors. The most common use of americium is in smoke detectors in homes and buildings. A tiny amount of americium-241 helps detect smoke by creating charged particles in the air.