- Made In USA
- 2x2x2 inches
- Radioactive symbol. No sample.
Protactinium's atomic number is 91 and its symbol is Pa. It is a dense, silvery-gray actinide metal which readily reacts with oxygen, water vapor and inorganic acids. Concentrations of protactinium in the Earth's crust are typically a few parts per trillion, but may reach up to a few parts per million.
Protactinium was first identified in 1913 by Kazimierz Fajans and Oswald Helmuth Göhring and named brevium because of the short half-life of the specific isotope studied. Later, the element was name protactinium, which means "(nuclear) precursor of actinium".
Because of its scarcity, high radioactivity and high toxicity, there are currently no uses for protactinium outside scientific research, and for this purpose, protactinium is mostly extracted from spent nuclear fuel
This display is contained within crystal clear lucite acrylic.