(So named (America + -ium) by Glenn T. Seaborg, one of its discovers, by analogy with europium, the corresponding rare-earth metal) A radioactive, metallic chemical element, one of the actinides, produced by the beta decay of an isotope of plutonium. It is used in smoke detectors.

Symbol: Am
Atomic number: 95
Atomic weight: 243 (isotope with the longest known half-life)
Density (at room temperature and pressure): 13.67 g/cc
Melting point: 1,176°C
Boiling point: 2,607°C
Ground state electron configuration: [Rn]5f77s9
Americium
Symbol: Am
Atomic Number: 95
Atomic Weight: 243 (most stable)
Boiling Point: 2880 K
Melting Point: 1449 K
Density at 300K: 13.7 g/cm3
Covalent radius: ???
Atomic radius: ???
Atomic volume: 20.8 cm3/mol
First ionization potental: 6.0 V
Specific heat capacity: ??? Jg-1K-1
Thermal conductivity: 10 Wm-1K-1
Electrical conductivity: 0.7*106Ω-1m-1
Heat of fusion: ??? kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization: ??? kJ/mol
Electronegativity: 1.3 (Pauling's)

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Some uses for americium:

A neutron source for non-destructive testing of machinery and equipment

A thickness gauge for the glass industry

An ionisation source for smoke detectors (its most common use)

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