Neptunium ( /nɛpˈtjuːniəm/ nep-TEW-nee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Np and atomic number 93. A radioactive metal, neptunium is the first transuranic element and belongs to the actinide series. Its most stable isotope, Np, is a by-product of nuclear reactors and plutonium production and it can be used as a component in neutron detection equipment. Neptunium is also found in trace amounts in uranium ores due to transmutation reactions....
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Neptunium ( /nɛpˈtjuːniəm/ nep-TEW-nee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Np and atomic number 93. A radioactive metal, neptunium is the first transuranic element and belongs to the actinide series. Its most stable isotope, Np, is a by-product of nuclear reactors and plutonium production and it can be used as a component in neutron detection equipment. Neptunium is also found in trace amounts in uranium ores due to transmutation reactions.
The periodic table of Dmitri Mendeleev published in the 1870s showed a " — " in place after uranium similar to several other places for at that point undiscovered elements. Also a publication of the known radioactive isotopes by Kasimir Fajans shows the empty place after uranium.
At least three times, discoveries of the element 93 were falsely reported, as bohemium and ausonium in 1934 and then sequanium in 1939. The name neptunium has previously been considered for other elements.
The search for element 93 in minerals was encumbered by the...
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