ACTINIDE Meaning and
Definition
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The term "actinide" is used to refer to a series of chemical elements found in the periodic table. Specifically, it includes all the elements from atomic number 89 (actinium) to atomic number 103 (lawrencium). These elements are characterized by their sharing of certain chemical and physical properties due to the presence of a partially filled 5f electron shell.
Actinides are all radioactive, meaning their atomic nuclei tend to undergo spontaneous decay and emit various types of ionizing radiation. This property makes actinides highly unstable and often hazardous to health and the environment. The radioactivity of actinides is a result of their atomic nuclei having an excess of neutrons, which causes them to become unstable and release radiation as a means to seek a more stable state.
Actinides are predominantly synthetic elements, meaning they are not naturally abundant on Earth and are primarily produced through artificial nuclear reactions in laboratory settings. However, some actinides do exist naturally, such as uranium and thorium, which have varying degrees of abundance.
Due to their nuclear properties, actinides have various practical applications in different fields. For instance, uranium is commonly used as fuel in nuclear reactors for the generation of electricity, while americium is employed in smoke detectors. Actinides also play a crucial role in nuclear weapons development and research, as they can undergo fission (breaking into smaller fragments) or capture neutrons to produce fissionable isotopes.
Common Misspellings for ACTINIDE
Etymology of ACTINIDE
The word actinide is derived from the Greek word aktís, meaning ray or beam. It refers to the fact that actinides are elements that emit alpha particles, which were once called actinium rays. The suffix -ide indicates that these elements belong to a particular group or category. Therefore, actinide essentially means belonging to the group of elements that emit alpha particles or related to actinium rays.
Similar spelling words for ACTINIDE
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