radioactive element discovered in 1899, from Greek actin-, comb. form of aktis (genitive aktinos) "ray, radiance" (see actino-) + chemical suffix -ium.
actinium ac·tin·i·um (āk-tĭn'ē-əm)
n.
Symbol Ac
A radioactive element found in uranium ores. Its longest lived isotope is Ac 227 with a half-life of 21.6years. Atomic number 89; melting point 1,050°C; boiling point (estimated) 3,200°C; specific gravity (calculated) 10.07; valence 3.
| actinium (āk-tĭn'ē-əm) Symbol Ac A silvery-white, highly radioactive metallic element of the actinide series that is found in uranium ores. It is about 150 times more radioactive than radium and is used as a source of alpha rays and neutrons. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of about 22 years. Atomic number 89; melting point 1,050°C (1,922°F); boiling point (estimated) 3,200°C (5,792°F); specific gravity (calculated) 10.07; valence 3. See Periodic Table. |
(Ac), radioactive chemical element, in Group IIIb of the periodic table, atomic number 89. Actinium was discovered (1899) by Andre-Louis Debierne in pitchblende residues left after Pierre and Marie Curie had extracted radium and was also discovered (1902) independently by Friedrich Otto Giesel. A ton of pitchblende ore contains about 0.15 mg of actinium. The rare, silvery-white metal is highly radioactive, glowing blue in the dark