10 articles
Actinide
The actinide, or actinoid, series comprises 15 radioactive metallic elements with atomic numbers 89 to 103, from actinium through lawrencium, in which the 5f shell is filled.
Actinium
Actinium (element 89) is a soft, silvery-white radioactive metal, the first of the actinides, discovered by André Debierne in 1899 and best known through actinium-225, a leading radionuclide for targeted alpha therapy.
Dysprosium
Dysprosium, element 66, is a silvery heavy lanthanide metal discovered in 1886 and used mainly to make neodymium magnets heat-resistant in electric vehicles and wind turbines.
Europium
Europium (Eu) is a soft, silvery lanthanide metal, element 63, named after Europe and best known as the red phosphor in color televisions and euro banknotes.
Lanthanide
The lanthanides, also called lanthanoids, are the fifteen metallic elements with atomic numbers 57 through 71, from lanthanum to lutetium, part of the rare earths.
Protactinium
Protactinium is a dense, silvery, highly radioactive actinide metal, atomic number 91, occurring naturally only as a decay product of uranium and among the rarest elements.
Radionuclide
A radionuclide, also known as a radioisotope or radioactive isotope, is an unstable atom that spontaneously decays, emitting radiation such as alpha and beta particles until it becomes stable.
Thorium
Thorium is a weakly radioactive silvery metallic element of the actinide series, atomic number 90, whose isotope thorium-232 can be bred into fissile uranium-233 for nuclear fuel.
Uranium
Uranium is a naturally occurring, weakly radioactive silvery metal of the actinide series, atomic number 92, discovered in 1789 by Martin Heinrich Klaproth and used chiefly as nuclear reactor fuel.
Ytterbium
Ytterbium is a soft, silvery lanthanide element with symbol Yb and atomic number 70, used chiefly in high-power fiber lasers, optical atomic clocks, and medical brachytherapy.