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Element 93 - Neptunium (Np)
After Neptune, the planet beyond Uranus; discovered 1940. Detected first in invisible, unweighable amounts, neptunium was the first "synthetic" element made from uranium. Traces of it turn up in uranium ores, produced by stray neutrons from uranium's decay.
Properties
Atomic Number
:
93
Atomic Weight
:
237.0482
Electron Configuration
(at ground state):
1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
3d
10
4s
2
4p
6
4d
10
5s
2
5p
6
4f
14
5d
10
5f
4
6s
2
6p
6
6d
1
7s
2
Oxidation States
(Bold most stable):
+6,
+5
, +4, +3
Boiling Point
(K):
4175
Melting Point (K):
912
Density
(at 300K -- g/cm
3
):
20.2
Atomic Volume (at 300K -- cm
3
/mol)
21.1
Mass Number
(Bold naturally occurring) --
Half-Life
--
Disintigration Type
:
236 -- 1.1 x 10
5
years -- orbital
electron capture
,
beta particle
(
electron
) emission
237 -- 2.14 x 10
6
years --
alpha particle
emission
239 -- 2.346 days --
beta particle
(
electron
) emission
Atomic Radius (Å):
1.30
First
Ionization Potential
(V):
5.88
Electronegativity
(Pauling's):
1.36
Electrical Conductivity (at 293K for polycrystalline material -- 10
6
-1
cm
-1
):
0.8
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m
-1
K
-1
):
6.3
Crystal Structure:
Orthorhombic
Acid
-
Base
Properties:
Amphoteric