Curium(IV) oxide is an

inorganic An inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds⁠that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '' inorganic chemistry''. Inor ...

chemical compound of

curium Curium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Cm and atomic number 96. This transuranic actinide element was named after eminent scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, both known for their research on radioactivity. Curium was first inten ...

and

oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...

with the chemical formula . Since all isotopes of curium are man-made, the compound does not occur in nature.

Synthesis

*Curium(IV) oxide can be prepared directly from the elements. Metallic curium is annealed in air or in an oxygen atmosphere: :: * Curium(III) hydroxide and curium(III) oxalate are also usually used for this purpose: :: :: *Another way is the reaction of

curium(III) oxide Curium is a synthetic chemical element; it has symbol Cm and atomic number 96. This transuranic actinide element was named after eminent scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, both known for their research on radioactivity. Curium was first intenti ...

in an oxygen atmosphere at 650 °C: ::

Physical properties

Curium(IV) oxide forms black crystals. Insoluble in water. The compound crystals are of the

cubic crystal system In crystallography, the cubic (or isometric) crystal system is a crystal system where the unit cell is in the shape of a cube. This is one of the most common and simplest shapes found in crystals and minerals. There are three main varieties o ...

, the fluorite structure in the space group ''Fm''3''m''.

Chemical properties

The compound reacts with mineral acids to form solutions of curium(III) salts.

Uses

The compound is used for the manufacturing of isotopic current sources, also as targets for the synthesis of transcurium elements.

References

{{Oxides Curium compounds Oxides