Isotopes of americium

Artificial nuclides with atomic number of 95 but with different mass numbers

Americium-241 (Am, Am-241) is an isotope of americium. Like all isotopes of americium, it is radioactive, with a half-life of . Am is the most common isotope of americium as well as the most prevalent americium isotope in radioactive waste. It is used in ionization-type smoke detectors and is a potential fuel for long-lifetime radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). Its common parent nuclides are β from Pu, EC from Cm, and α from Bk. Am is fissile. The critical mass of a bare sphere is and a sphere diameter of . Americium-241 has a specific activity of . It is commonly found in the form