Curium (Cm)

Curium is a radioactive chemical element with symbol Cm and atomic number 96. This element of the actinide series was named after Marie and Pierre Curie – both were known for their research on radioactivity.

Atomic Number

96

Atomic Mass

247 u

Category

actinide

Phase

solid

Density

13.51 g/cm³

Electron Shells

2, 8, 18, 32, 25, 9, 2

Atomic Structure

Protons: 96 • Electrons: 96 • Neutrons: Varies by isotope

Electron Configuration: 1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 4s² 3d¹⁰ 4p⁶ 5s² 4d¹⁰ 5p⁶ 6s² 4f¹⁴ 5d¹⁰ 6p⁶ 7s² 5f⁷ 6d¹

Discovery

1944 • Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, Albert Ghiorso