Description
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Actinium is an element classified as an actinide. It is silvery solid in its natural state, is highly radioactive, and will glow a light blue color in the dark. Actinium has an atomic weight of 227, a melting point of 1922 ° F, and a boiling point of 5788 °F. Actinium is so radioactive and dangerous that it has no commercial uses. It is used as a neutron source for some chemical reactions and as a component in radio-immunotherapy for Targeted Alpha Therapy.
Isolation
Actinium is not normally isolated as it is so dangerous. However, it can be synthesized, or isolated, on a very small scale for its uses listed above.
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The only place in nature where actinium is found is in trace amounts of uranium ores such as pitchblende. Pitchblende is a mineral which contains high amounts of uranium in addition to oxides of lead and rare earth elements; it is also known as uraninite. Actinium can be isolated from pitchblende, but this process is rarely carried out. In order to isolate the actinium from pitchblende, it must be first reduced to its fluoride form. After this is done, the fluoride of actinium is reduced with lithium vapor and heated to between 2012 - 2372 °F. This process will yield minute amounts of pure actinium. Small amounts of actinium can also be produced through the neutron irradiation on the radium isotope, number 226; this procedure is carried out in a nuclear reactor. Storage and handling of actinium is carried out with extreme caution due to its high toxicity and extreme radioactive traits.