This video shows the extraction process of Americium-241 from a household ionization-type smoke detector.

We will be using the Americium-241 in future videos as an radioactive source in the cloud chamber and live online alpha radiation visualizer.

Tools required:
Soldering iron
Flathead screwdriver

Americium (correct pronunciation: ah-mehr-ih-see-um [I think]) is a synthetic transuranic element which is not dangerous to the human body in this amount and form unless ingested, and even then the dosage will not be medically significant. Alpha particles can be stopped in their tracks by a simple sheet of paper, or the barrier of human skin.

For any questions on nuclear bomb building, it would be very difficult to take apart enough smoke detectors as to gather the 60 kg of Americium required to sustain a nuclear chain reaction as there are less than .3 micrograms in each smoke detector.

Safety information reference:
[ Ссылка ]

Wikipedia article:
[ Ссылка ]

:) Happy experimenting!

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