Isotopes of americium

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Isotopes of americium  (95Am)
Main isotopes [1] Decay
abun­dance half-life (t1/2) mode pro­duct
241Am synth 432.6 y α 237Np
SF
242m1Amsynth141 y IT 242Am
α 238Np
SF
243Amsynth7350 yα 239Np
SF

Americium (95Am) is an artificial element, and thus a standard atomic weight cannot be given. Like all artificial elements, it has no known stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 241Am in 1944. The artificial element decays by ejecting alpha particles. Americium has an atomic number of 95 (the number of protons in the nucleus of the americium atom). Despite 243
Am
being an order of magnitude longer lived than 241
Am
, the former is harder to obtain than the latter as more of it is present in spent nuclear fuel.

Contents

Eighteen radioisotopes of americium, ranging from 229Am to 247Am with the exception of 231Am, have been characterized; another isotope, 223Am, has also been reported but is unconfirmed. The most stable isotopes are 243Am with a half-life of 7,350 years and 241Am with a half-life of 432.6 years. All of the remaining radioactive isotopes have half-lives that are less than seven days, the majority of which are shorter than two hours. This element also has fourteen meta states, with the most stable being 242m1Am (half-life 141 years). This isomer is unusual in that its half-life is far longer than that of the ground state of the same isotope.

List of isotopes

Nuclide
[n 1]
Z N Isotopic mass (Da) [2]
[n 2] [n 3]
Half-life [1]
Decay
mode
[1]
[n 4]
Daughter
isotope

Spin and
parity [1]
[n 5] [n 6]
Excitation energy [n 6]
223Am [n 7] 95128223.04584(32)#10(9) ms α 219Np9/2–#
229Am95134229.04528(11)1.8(15) sα225Np5/2–#
230Am95135230.04603(15)#40(9) s β+ (<70%)230Pu1–#
β+, SF (>30%)(various)
232Am95137232.04661(32)#1.31(4) minβ+ (97%)232Pu1–#
α? (3%)228Np
β+, SF (0.069%)(various)
233Am95138233.04647(12)#3.2(8) minβ+? (95.5%)233Pu5/2–#
α (4.5%)229Np
234Am95139234.04773(17)#2.32(8) minβ+ (99.95%)234Pu0–#
α (0.039%)230Np
β+, SF (0.0066%)(various)
235Am95140235.04791(6)10.3(6) minβ+ (99.60%)235Pu5/2−#
α (0.40%)231Np
236Am95141236.04943(13)#3.6(1) minβ+236Pu5−
α (4×10−3%)232Np
236mAm50(50)# keV2.9(2) minβ+236Pu(1−)
237Am95142237.05000(6)#73.6(8) minβ+ (99.975%)237Pu5/2−
α (0.025%)233Np
238Am95143238.05198(6)98(3) minβ+238Pu1+
α (1.0×10−4%)234Np
238mAm2500(200)# keV35(18) μsSF(various)
239Am95144239.0530227(21)11.9(1) h EC (99.990%)239Pu5/2−
α (0.010%)235Np
239mAm2500(200) keV163(12) nsSF(various)(7/2+)
240Am95145240.055298(15)50.8(3) hβ+240Pu(3−)
α (1.9×10−4%)236Np
240mAm3000(200) keV940(40) μsSF(various)
241Am 95146241.0568273(12)432.6(6) yα237Np5/2−
SF (3.6×10−10%)(various)
241mAm2200(200) keV1.2(3) μsSF(various)
242Am95147242.0595474(12)16.02(2) hβ (82.7%)242Cm1−
EC (17.3%)242Pu
242m1Am48.60(5) keV141(2) y IT (99.55%)242Am5−
α (0.45%)238Np
SF (<4.7×10−9%)(various)
242m2Am2200(80) keV14.0(10) msSF(various)(2+, 3−)
IT242Am
243Am95148243.0613799(15)7350(9) yα239Np5/2−
SF (3.7×10−9%)(various)
243mAm2300(200) keV5.5(5) μsSF(various)
244Am95149244.0642829(16)10.01(3) hβ244Cm(6−)
244m1Am89.3(16) keV26.13(43) minβ (99.96%)244Cm1+
EC (0.0364%)244Pu
244m2Am2000(200)# keV0.90(15) msSF(various)
244m3Am2200(200)# keV~6.5 μsSF(various)
245Am95150245.0664528(20)2.05(1) hβ245Cm5/2+
245mAm2400(400)# keV0.64(6) μsSF(various)
246Am95151246.069774(19)#39(3) minβ246Cm7−
246m1Am30(10)# keV25.0(2) minβ246Cm2(−)
246m2Am2000(800)# keV73(10) μsSF(various)
247Am95152247.07209(11)#23.0(13) minβ247Cm5/2#
This table header & footer:
  1. mAm  Excited nuclear isomer.
  2. ()  Uncertainty (1σ) is given in concise form in parentheses after the corresponding last digits.
  3. #  Atomic mass marked #: value and uncertainty derived not from purely experimental data, but at least partly from trends from the Mass Surface (TMS).
  4. Modes of decay:
    EC: Electron capture
    CD: Cluster decay
    IT: Isomeric transition
    SF: Spontaneous fission
  5. () spin value  Indicates spin with weak assignment arguments.
  6. 1 2 #  Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from trends of neighboring nuclides (TNN).
  7. The discovery of this isotope is uncertain due to disagreements between theoretical predictions and reported experimental data. [3]

Actinides vs fission products

Actinides [4] by decay chain Half-life
range (a)
Fission products of 235U by yield [5]
4n 4n + 1 4n + 2 4n + 3 4.5–7%0.04–1.25%<0.001%
228 Ra 4–6 a 155 Euþ
248 Bk [6] > 9 a
244 Cmƒ 241 Puƒ 250 Cf 227 Ac 10–29 a 90 Sr 85 Kr 113m Cdþ
232 Uƒ 238 Puƒ 243 Cmƒ 29–97 a 137 Cs 151 Smþ 121m Sn
249 Cfƒ 242m Amƒ141–351 a

No fission products have a half-life
in the range of 100 a–210 ka ...

241 Amƒ 251 Cfƒ [7] 430–900 a
226 Ra 247 Bk1.3–1.6 ka
240 Pu 229 Th 246 Cmƒ 243 Amƒ4.7–7.4 ka
245 Cmƒ 250 Cm8.3–8.5 ka
239 Puƒ24.1 ka
230 Th 231 Pa32–76 ka
236 Npƒ 233 Uƒ 234 U 150–250 ka 99 Tc 126 Sn
248 Cm 242 Pu 327–375 ka 79 Se
1.33 Ma 135 Cs
237 Npƒ 1.61–6.5 Ma 93 Zr 107 Pd
236 U 247 Cmƒ 15–24 Ma 129 I
244 Pu80 Ma

... nor beyond 15.7 Ma [8]

232 Th 238 U 235 Uƒ№0.7–14.1 Ga

Notable isotopes

Americium-241

Americium-241 is used in ionization smoke detectors. Americium button hd.jpg
Americium-241 is used in ionization smoke detectors.

Americium-241 is the most common isotope of americium in nuclear waste. [9] It is the isotope used in an americium smoke detector based on an ionization chamber. It is a potential fuel for long-lifetime radioisotope thermoelectric generators.

ParameterValue
Atomic mass 241.0568273  Da
Mass excess 52930 keV
Beta decay energy −767 keV
Spin 5/2−
Half-life 432.6 years
Spontaneous fissions 1200 per kg s
Decay heat 114 watts/kg

Possible parent nuclides: beta from 241Pu, electron capture from 241Cm, alpha from 245Bk.

241Am alpha decays, with a by-product of gamma rays. Its presence in plutonium is determined by the original concentration of 241Pu and the sample age. Due to the low penetration of alpha radiation, 241Am only poses a health risk when ingested or inhaled. Older samples of plutonium containing plutonium-241 contain a buildup of 241Am. A chemical removal of americium from reworked plutonium (e.g. during reworking of plutonium pits) may be required.

Americium-242m

Transmutation flow between Pu and Cm in LWR.
Fission percentage is 100 minus shown percentages.
Total rate of transmutation varies greatly by nuclide.
Cm- Cm are long-lived with negligible decay. Sasahara.svg
Transmutation flow between Pu and Cm in LWR.
Fission percentage is 100 minus shown percentages.
Total rate of transmutation varies greatly by nuclide.
Cm– Cm are long-lived with negligible decay.
242mAm decay modes (half-life: 141 years) [1]
ProbabilityDecay mode Decay energy Decay product
99.55% isomeric transition 0.049 MeV 242Am
  0.45% alpha decay 5.64 MeV238Np
(1.5±0.6)×10−10 [11] spontaneous fission ~200 MeV fission products

Americium-242m has a mass of 242.0595492 g/mol. It is one of the rare cases, like 108mAg, 166mHo, 180mTa, 186mRe, 192mIr, 210mBi, 212mPo and others, where a higher-energy nuclear isomer is more stable than the ground state, americium-242. [12]

242mAm is fissile with a low critical mass, comparable to that of 239Pu. [13] It has a very high fission cross section, and is quickly destroyed if it is produced in a nuclear reactor. It has been investigated whether this isotope could be used for a novel type of nuclear rocket. [14] [15]

242Am decay modes (half-life: 16 hours) [1]
ProbabilityDecay mode Decay energy Decay product
82.7% beta decay 0.664 MeV242 Cm
17.3% electron capture 0.751 MeV 242Pu

Americium-243

A sample of Am-243 Am243.png
A sample of Am-243

Americium-243 has a mass of 243.06138 g/mol and a half-life of 7350 years [1] , the longest lasting of all americium isotopes. It is formed in the nuclear fuel cycle by neutron capture on plutonium-242 followed by beta decay. [16] Production increases exponentially with increasing burnup as a total of 5 neutron captures on 238U are required. If MOX-fuel is used, particularly MOX-fuel high in 241
Pu
and 242
Pu
, more americium overall and more 243
Am
will be produced.

It decays by either emitting an alpha particle (with a decay energy of 5.27 MeV) [16] to become 239Np, which then quickly decays to 239Pu, or rarely, by spontaneous fission. [17]

As for the other americium isotopes, and more generally for all alpha emitters, 243Am is carcinogenic in case of internal contamination after being inhaled or ingested. 243Am also presents a risk of external irradiation associated with the gamma ray emitted by its short-lived decay product 239Np. The external irradiation risk for the other two americium isotopes (241Am and 242mAm) is less than 10% of that for americium-243. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kondev, F. G.; Wang, M.; Huang, W. J.; Naimi, S.; Audi, G. (2021). "The NUBASE2020 evaluation of nuclear properties" (PDF). Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030001. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddae.
  2. Wang, Meng; Huang, W.J.; Kondev, F.G.; Audi, G.; Naimi, S. (2021). "The AME 2020 atomic mass evaluation (II). Tables, graphs and references*". Chinese Physics C. 45 (3): 030003. doi:10.1088/1674-1137/abddaf.
  3. Sun, M. D.; et al. (2017). "New short-lived isotope 223Np and the absence of the Z = 92 subshell closure near N = 126". Physics Letters B. 771: 303–308. Bibcode:2017PhLB..771..303S. doi: 10.1016/j.physletb.2017.03.074 .
  4. Plus radium (element 88). While actually a sub-actinide, it immediately precedes actinium (89) and follows a three-element gap of instability after polonium (84) where no nuclides have half-lives of at least four years (the longest-lived nuclide in the gap is radon-222 with a half life of less than four days). Radium's longest lived isotope, at 1,600 years, thus merits the element's inclusion here.
  5. Specifically from thermal neutron fission of uranium-235, e.g. in a typical nuclear reactor.
  6. Milsted, J.; Friedman, A. M.; Stevens, C. M. (1965). "The alpha half-life of berkelium-247; a new long-lived isomer of berkelium-248". Nuclear Physics. 71 (2): 299. Bibcode:1965NucPh..71..299M. doi:10.1016/0029-5582(65)90719-4.
    "The isotopic analyses disclosed a species of mass 248 in constant abundance in three samples analysed over a period of about 10 months. This was ascribed to an isomer of Bk248 with a half-life greater than 9 [years]. No growth of Cf248 was detected, and a lower limit for the β half-life can be set at about 104 [years]. No alpha activity attributable to the new isomer has been detected; the alpha half-life is probably greater than 300 [years]."
  7. This is the heaviest nuclide with a half-life of at least four years before the "sea of instability".
  8. Excluding those "classically stable" nuclides with half-lives significantly in excess of 232Th; e.g., while 113mCd has a half-life of only fourteen years, that of 113Cd is eight quadrillion years.
  9. 1 2 "Americium" Archived 2012-07-30 at the Wayback Machine . Argonne National Laboratory, EVS. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  10. Sasahara, Akihiro; Matsumura, Tetsuo; Nicolaou, Giorgos; Papaioannou, Dimitri (April 2004). "Neutron and Gamma Ray Source Evaluation of LWR High Burn-up UO2 and MOX Spent Fuels". Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology. 41 (4): 448–456. doi: 10.3327/jnst.41.448 .
  11. J. T. Caldwell; S. C. Fultz; C. D. Bowman; R. W. Hoff (March 1967). "Spontaneous Fission Half-Life of Am242m". Physical Review. 155 (4): 1309–1313. Bibcode:1967PhRv..155.1309C. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.155.1309. (halflife (9.5±3.5)×1011 years)
  12. 95-Am-242 Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "Critical Mass Calculations for 241Am, 242mAm and 243Am" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  14. "Extremely Efficient Nuclear Fuel Could Take Man To Mars In Just Two Weeks" (Press release). Ben-Gurion University Of The Negev. December 28, 2000.
  15. Ronen, Yigal; Shwageraus, E. (2000). "Ultra-thin 241mAm fuel elements in nuclear reactors". Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A. 455 (2): 442–451. Bibcode:2000NIMPA.455..442R. doi:10.1016/s0168-9002(00)00506-4.
  16. 1 2 "Americium-243" Archived 2011-02-25 at the Wayback Machine . Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
  17. "Isotopes of the Element Americium". Jefferson Lab Science Education. Retrieved 25 December 2009.

Sources