IT'S ELEMENTAL!
AMERICIUM RACHEL SHEREMETA PEPLING, C&EN WASHINGTON
I
ENJOY WATCHING TRIVIA GAME SHOWS
such as "Jeopardy!" and "Win Ben Stein's Money." Sure, I like to see how I stack up against the contestants, but what I really enjoy are the interesting tidbits of information you can gather. Now imagine my glee had I been alive in 1945 and listening to the radio. I would have picked up one ofthe best tidbits ever. "Quiz Kids" was a live radio game show produced from 1940 to 1953 by NBC that featured children with high IQs, including future Nobelist James D. Watson. On Nov 11,1945, Glenn T. Seaborg appeared as a guest on "Quiz Kids." One ofthe children on the show, Richard Williams, asked Seaborg if any new elements, in addition to plutonium and neptunium, had been discovered at the Metallurgical Laboratory in Chicago during the war. Since the discovery information had already been declassified for announcement at the forthcoming ACS national meeting on Nov 16, Seaborg shared the news that two new elements with atomic numbers 95 and 96 had been discovered.
AMERICIUM AT A GLANCE Name: Named for the Americas, where it was discovered. Atomic mass: (2431. History: Americium was the fourth transuranic element to be discovered. The isotope Am-241 was identified by Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, Leon 0. (Tom) Morgan, and Albert Ghiorso late in 1944 at the University of Chicago's wartime Metallurgical Laboratory (now Argonne National Lab). Occurrence: Does not occur naturally. Appearance: White solid metal, more silvery than plutonium or neptunium, prepared in the same manner. Behavior: Tarnishes slowly in dry air. Highly dangerous because of its intense a-radiation. Uses: Americium-241 is made in large quantities in nuclear reactors and is available to qualified users in the U.S. and the U.K. It is used as a portable source of X-rays, as a source of ionization for smoke detectors, and as a radioactive glass thickness gauge for the flat-glass industry.
170
C & E N / S E P T E M B E R 8, 2003
"mechanicium," since element 95 had been created in a lab and did not occur naturally Interestingly, one listener suggested element 95 be named "curium" and element 96 "einsteinium."Those suggested names were eventually applied to elements 96 and 99, respectively, so some good ideas did come from the radio solicitation. In the end, element 95 was named "am-
It's not every day that you hear about new elements announced on a game show. Talk about a golden nugget of a tidbit. Seaborg then told Williams, "So now you'll have to tell your teachers to change the 92 elements in your schoolbook to 96 elements." Seaborg later recalled in his 1979 Priestley Medal address that many kids did, in fact, tell their teachers to change the number of elements. "Judging from some ofthe letters I received from such youngsters, they were not entirely successful in convincing their teachers," he said. Initially, Seaborg's group had difficulty chemically separating the two new elements from the SPILT BEANS Quiz Kids Sheila Conlan rare-earth elements. One of the (center) and Bob Burke (right) with Seaborg members ofthe group, Tom Mor- the day he informally announced elements 95 gan, dubbed the two elements and 96 on the radio show. "pandemonium" and "delirium." ericium" because of its position in the peMorgan's nicknames encompass the frusriodic table. Since its lanthanide homolog, tration ofthe group during their attempts europium, was named after Europe, to demonstrate the chemical proof of the Seaborg felt it appropriate for element 95 elements' existence. to be named after the Americas. Element 95 made one more radio apAnd now for one last tidbit of informapearance before receiving its formal name. tion. Americium was introduced On Dec. 15,1945, Seaborg was a into many homes via the radio. guest on the radio program 'AdToday, however, the radioactive ventures in Science." The anelement can physically be found nouncer ofthe program wanted in almost every home and saves to know if elements 95 and 96 countless lives every year. had been named. Seaborg replied Have you figured out where it that "naming one of the fundahides yet? No fair cheating with mental substances ofthe universe the information box on this page! is, of course, something that CELEBRATING C&EN'S How about your smoke deshould be done only after careful 80TH tector? Small amounts of amerithought." ANNIVERSARY cium are used as ionization The announcer then suggestsources in smoke detectors. The ed that listeners ofthe program americium emits a-particles that ionize might be interested in submitting name the surrounding air, increasing electrical suggestions for the new elements. Listenconductivity When smoke enters the ioners were advised to send a postcard to the ization chamber, it disrupts the electrical program, and in return, they received a free conductivity and triggers the alarm. issue of Chemistry magazine that included With so many interesting tidbits of inSeaborg's technical paper and revised peformation, americium would make a great riodic table. quiz show category Should I ever actually Seaborg later sent a response to 'Adend up on a quiz show, I'll certainly be hopventures in Science" sharing the names that ing I get to say, "I'll take 'americium' for people had suggested. Since all ofthe planets' names had already been used, some listeners suggested other astronomical bodRachel Sheremeta Pepling is an assistant ies such as "big dipperain" and "sunonium." editorfor C&EN Online. She oversees the feaOther listeners suggested "artifium," "arture "Critter Chemistry" tifician," "cyclo" (after the cyclotron), and HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
