The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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Curium is a transuranium element denoted by the atomic symbol Cm. Its most stable isotope has an atomic number of 96 and an atomic weight of 247. It is a radioactive element that has a half life of 16 million years. Some scientists believe that this isotope was present at the creation of the earth, and was a parent of the lower members of the actinide family.
Curium and americium were both discovered in 1944 during war-related research in the Metallurgical Research Laboratory at the University of Chicago. The two elements are, like the rare earth elements above them in the periodic table, very similar to each other chemically. In fact, they were so difficult to separate at first that one researcher suggested that they be named pandemonium and delirium.
By 1947, however, a visible quantity (30 mg) of the first pure compound of element 96 had been prepared. The element had, by that time, been given the name curium, in honor of Marie and Pierre Curie. The name was chosen as an analogy to the rare earth above it in the periodic table, gadolinium, named for a famous student of the rare earths, John Gadolin (1760-1852).
The first sample of pure metallic curium was produced by Wallmann, Crane, and Burris Bell Cunningham (1912-) in 1951 by reducing its fluoride with barium vapor at 2,012-2,372°F (1,100-1,300°C) in a vacuum. The metal is hard, silvery, and brittle, with a melting point of 2,444°F (1,340°C). Multigram quantities of the element are now commercially available.
Curium generates an unusually large amount of energy as it decays. This property has made it useful in small, compact power sources at remote locations on Earth and in space vehicles. The element is also highly toxic. In the body it can accumulate in bones and its radiation can interfere with normal red blood cell formation. The maximum permissible dose is 0.3 microcuries.