Element brief / Actinide series

Curium.

A synthetic, silvery radioactive metal forged in the era of nuclear discovery. Named for Marie and Pierre Curie, curium occupies the sixth place in the actinide row.

Compare isotopes → Read its origin story ↗

ActinideRadioactive

curium

247.07031944

Atomic mass247.0703 u

Electron config.[Rn] 5f⁷ 6d¹ 7s²

Block / periodf-block / 7

First observed1944 · Berkeley

01 / Field notes

A rare element with a practical edge.

Born from bombardment

Curium was first made by bombarding plutonium-239 with alpha particles. Its discovery expanded the actinide family beyond plutonium.

Trace the timeline →

Mostly a research material

Its intense radioactivity and scarcity limit everyday use. Curium isotopes help power scientific instruments and study the chemistry of the heaviest elements.

See applications →

Alpha particles, measured

Curium-242 and curium-244 are important isotopes. Their decay signatures make them useful in controlled, specialized environments.

Open isotope index →

02 / Interactive model

Watch an isotope fade.

Use the slider to see the idealized remaining activity of curium-244 across its 18.1-year half-life.

Curium-24418.1 years

0 years1 half-life4 half-lives

50% left

After elapsed time18.1 years

Half-life model · ²⁴⁴Cm

03 / Short history

From cyclotron to symbol.

Full history ↗

1944First synthesized

Glenn Seaborg and his team produce element 96 at Berkeley.

1946Discovery announced

Research is declassified and the new element receives its name.

1950s—New isotopes

Continued work reveals a family of useful, intensely radioactive isotopes.