Element 89 · Actinide
Actinium
Actinium is intensely radioactive — produced in tiny quantities, no scrap market exists.
Element Facts
SYMBOL
Ac
ATOMIC NO.
89
ATOMIC WEIGHT
227
CATEGORY
Actinide
PERIOD
Period 7
GROUP
Group 3
Origins
Discovered in 1899 by French chemist André-Louis Debierne in uranium ore (pitchblende), and independently by Friedrich Giesel in 1902. Named from the Greek for “ray” (actis) due to its radioactivity. For much of the 20th century it was used as a neutron source in scientific research and as a source of radon gas for radiation therapy. Actinium-225 is now of significant interest in targeted alpha-particle cancer therapy.
Key Properties
Actinium is element 89, the namesake of the actinide series. All isotopes are radioactive; the longest-lived (Ac-227) has a half-life of 21.7 years. Pure actinium glows pale blue in the dark from its own radiation.
Modern Applications
Targeted alpha therapy for cancer treatment using Ac-225 isotope — emerging medical application. Some neutron source applications.
At the Yard
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Actinium:
Radioactive material handled only by licensed nuclear/medical operators. No scrap market exists.
Market Value
No commercial scrap market. Actinium-225 for radiopharmaceutical use costs thousands of dollars per microgram, produced at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Isotope & Beam Physics Laboratory. Actinium cannot be sourced or sold at a scrap yard.