Americium-241

This is a new element i got. I got the americium from a 4 doIlar smoke alarm. I had to take apart an ionizing smoke alarm because only the ionizing alarms have the americium in it. If you want me to do a video please post a comment!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• americium
• americium-241
• element
• atomic
• number
• symbol
• radioactive
• radioactivity
• geiger
• counter
• science
• cool
• amazing
• smoke
• detector
• ionizing
• ionization
• metal
• nuclear
• bomb

[intercomsec]

Your CD V700 will not detect alpha radiation, you need a thin window tube. You are detecting gamma.

[jrbpyro101]

@intercomsec No where did I say that it WAS measuring alpha.

[euclon]

The Alpha is much more intense than what you are measuring; those are typically 1uCi Am-241 sources in smoke detectors. Your geiger counter, which appears to be shielded from alphas, is probably picking up decay daughter Pa-233 betas and other beta/gamma emitting impurities. Be careful handling smoke detector sources even though they are "sealed sources".

[jrbpyro101]

@euclon I do know first hand that these are much more 'intensive' sources than what the geiger counter in this video portrays. The CDV-700 in the video only measures beta and gamma and is of course picking up gammas from the Am source.

[flyboy172r]

What type of radiation does a gieger counter measure?

[jrbpyro101]

@flyboy172r A geiger counter can measure any type of radiation depending on what type of probe it has on it.

[Huffdev]

I remember my First americium

[antiprotons]

You would find that many more gamma rays come from that button than you might imagine. I posted a video a while back where I showed the gamma spectrum of Am241. Nasty stuff. I like the close-up of the dial. Careful with that stuff!

[aliennation112]

she didn't open the compartment where the radioactive stuff is store



[aliennation112]

hi i was worried last night cus one of my family menber try to kill off the beeping noise cus it was low on battery she poke the battery casing or the inside with stick to shut it off would that disturbed the radioactive sorce or is it safe