Curious curium

Theoretical Probing of Size-Selective Crown Ether Macrocycle Ligands for Transplutonium Element Separation

“…To meet the energy demands of human society, the nuclear power industry has developed rapidly by virtue of its environmental and cost competitiveness. However, solving the problem of high-level liquid waste generated from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing has become one of the major challenges for the sustainable development of nuclear energy. − The partitioning and transmutation strategy can be used to convert long-lived minor actinides, such as 241 Am and 243 Am, into short-lived nuclides or stable nuclides. , The high activity of curium isotopes ( 242 Cm and 244 Cm) greatly increases the radiotoxicity of nuclear waste and is not conducive to the process of transmutation . Furthermore, some isotopes of transplutonium elements have unique properties and applications; for instance, the 252 Cf isotope is an excellent high-flux neutron source in the field of nuclear medicine.…”

“…4,5 The high activity of curium isotopes ( 242 Cm and 244 Cm) greatly increases the radiotoxicity of nuclear waste and is not conducive to the process of transmutation. 6 Furthermore, some isotopes of transplutonium elements have unique properties and applications; for instance, the 252 Cf isotope is an excellent high-flux neutron source 7 in the field of nuclear medicine. Therefore, although the separation of transplutonium elements is challenging because of their similar chemical properties and ionic radii, it is still a necessary task.…”

Efficient discrimination of transplutonium actinides by in vivo models

“…The transplutonium actinides Cm, Bk, Cf and Es are among the heaviest elements whose macroscale chemistry can be experimentally tested. 1,2 The physical and chemical properties of these radionuclides, however, have not been deeply characterized due to their scarcity, radioactivity, and challenging separations, which are among the most difficult ones within the periodic table. 3 Nevertheless, these elements are present in various human-driven activities, such as the generation of radioisotope thermoelectric generators, 1,4 neutron activation sources, 5 targets for super heavy element discovery, 6 and nuclear waste.…”

“… 1,2 The physical and chemical properties of these radionuclides, however, have not been deeply characterized due to their scarcity, radioactivity, and challenging separations, which are among the most difficult ones within the periodic table. 3 Nevertheless, these elements are present in various human-driven activities, such as the generation of radioisotope thermoelectric generators, 1,4 neutron activation sources, 5 targets for super heavy element discovery, 6 and nuclear waste. 7 Past uncontrolled releases of radionuclides to the environment, either accidental or intentional, have demonstrated the need to better understand their behavior in vivo , including biodistribution and excretion, as well as to develop decorporation strategies to minimize adverse health effects in humans.…”

Two-Photon Antenna Sensitization of Curium: Evidencing Metal-Driven Effects on Absorption Cross Section in f-Element Complexes

“…Better known for its use as a source of α-particles in a Mars Curiosity Rover spectrometer and as a target for heavy and super heavy element production, curium is one of the main components of nuclear waste . Curium has a distinct orange luminescence that sets it aside from the other actinides, and it has recently sparked renewed interested toward several applications, such as remediation, decontamination, and assay development. , Although Cm­(III) shows strong linear-optical properties, its two-photon absorption had not yet been studied, presumably due to the radioactivity of its isotopes, scarcity, and difficulty of handling.…”