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neptunium

[ nep-too-nee-uhm, -tyoo- ]
/ nɛpË?tu ni É™m, -Ë?tyu- /

noun Chemistry, Physics.

a transuranic element produced in nuclear reactors by the neutron bombardment of U-238: decays rapidly to plutonium and then to U-235. Symbol: Np; atomic number: 93.

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Origin of neptunium

First recorded in 1940–45; Neptune + -ium

Words nearby neptunium

nepman, Nepos, nepotism, neptune, Neptunian, neptunium, neptunium series, neral, NERC, nerd, nerdic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for neptunium

neptunium
/ (nÉ›pË?tjuË?nɪəm) /

noun

a silvery metallic transuranic element synthesized in the production of plutonium and occurring in trace amounts in uranium ores. Symbol: Np; atomic no: 93; half-life of most stable isotope, 237 Np: 2.14 × 10 6 years; valency: 3, 4, 5, or 6; relative density: 20.25; melting pt: 639±1°C; boiling pt: 3902°C (est)

Word Origin for neptunium

C20: from Neptune ², the planet beyond Uranus, because neptunium is the element beyond uranium in the periodic table
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for neptunium

neptunium
[ nĕp-tōō′nē-əm ]

n. Symbol Np

A metallic radioactive element found in trace quantities in uranium ores or synthesized; its longest-lived isotope is Np 237 with a half-life of 2.1 million years. Atomic number 93.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for neptunium

neptunium
[ nĕp-tōō′nē-əm ]

Np

A silvery, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series. It occurs naturally in minute amounts in uranium ores and is produced artificially as a byproduct of plutonium production. Its longest-lived isotope is Np 237 with a half-life of 2.1 million years. Atomic number 93. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.