0 a chemical element that is a silver-white metal. It is radioactive and is used to make smoke detectors (= devices that make a loud noise when smoke is present): --
tiny quantities of americium
A small source of radioactive americium is placed so that it maintains a current between two plates that effectively form an ionisation chamber.
This was the fifth transuranium element discovered after neptunium, plutonium, curium and americium.
Its toxicity is comparable to, but slightly lower than that of americium and plutonium.
They checked for different radioactive substances including gamma emitters, plutonium, americium and strontium.
Uranium and thorium also have diverse current or historical uses, and americium is used in the ionization chambers of most modern smoke detectors.
Americium is commonly used in industry as both an alpha particle and low photon energy gamma radiation source.
Americium is a relatively soft radioactive metal with silvery appearance.
The alpha particles emitted by the decay of the americium collide with the light beryllium nuclei, producing fast neutrons.
