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Transuranium Elements

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Book cover The Discovery of Isotopes

Abstract

The discovery of the first transuranium elements is closely related to the development of the atomic bomb during the Second World War. The work was classified and only published after the end of the war. The discovery of the isotopes of the elements from neptunium in 1939 through mendelevium which was first observed in 1955 is described. Initially, isotopes were produced in light charged-particle reactions and by neutron irradiation (including during nuclear explosions). Later on fusion-evaporation reactions were used to reach the heaviest elements.

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  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Michael Thoennessen

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Thoennessen, M. (2016). Transuranium Elements. In: The Discovery of Isotopes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31763-2_5

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