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8.2: The Actinides

Last updated

Jan 13, 2023
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- 8.1.15: Chemistry of Yttrium
- 8.2.1: General Properties and Reactions of The Actinides

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The Actinide series contains elements with atomic numbers 89 to 103 and is the sixth period and third group of the periodic table. The series is the row below the Lanthanide series, which is located underneath the main body of the periodic table. Both the Lanthanide and Actinide series are referred to as Rare Earth Metals and have a high diversity in oxidation numbers. All of the Actinides are radioactive. The most famous actinide is Uranium.

8.2.1: General Properties and Reactions of The Actinides
The Actinide series contains elements with atomic numbers 89 to 103 and is in the sixth period and the third group of the periodic table. The series is the row below the Lanthanide series, which is located underneath the main body of the periodic table. Lanthanide and Actinide Series are both referred to as Rare Earth Metals. These elements all have a high diversity in oxidation numbers and all are radioactive.
8.2.2: Chemistry of Americium
8.2.3: Chemistry of Berkelium
8.2.4: Chemistry of Californium
The fifth element in succession to emerge from the Berkeley, California cyclotron was element 98, californium (named after the State of origin).
8.2.5: Chemistry of Curium
8.2.6: Chemistry of Einsteinium
8.2.7: Chemistry of Fermium
8.2.8: Chemistry of Lawrencium
8.2.9: Chemistry of Mendelevium
8.2.10: Chemistry of Neptunium
8.2.11: Chemistry of Nobelium
Discovered by Ghiorso, Sikkeland, Walton and Seaborg (see element 106) and named for Alfred Nobel, element 102 was originally named by a Swedish group working at the Nobel Institute of Physics in Stockholm. Details of their work, however, did not yield the expected results and the credit eventually shifted to the American team which decided to retain the original given name. The most stable isotope is No-259 with a half-life of just about 1 minute.
8.2.12: Chemistry of Plutonium
8.2.13: Chemistry of Protoactinium
8.2.14: Chemistry of Thorium
8.2.15: Chemistry of Uranium
Most of the naturally occurring uranium is the isotope U-238. This form of uranium is not fissionable, i.e., it cannot be used in atomic weapons or power plants. A much smaller percentage of naturally occurring uranium is the isotope U-235, which is fissionable. The process of "enriching" uranium to increase the proportion of U-235 in a sample is expensive and tedious but necessary to produce fuel that is usable in power plants and material for weapons.

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