This is a group of elements within the periodic table and are also known as the transuranics. The name refers to those elements with increasing atomic no. from actinium, which all have similar chemical properties, like the lanthanides. The first few members of the group are the naturally occurring elements actinium, thorium, proactinium and uranium. Beyond this elements have been made artificially by radioactive bombardment. These artificial elements are unstable, some have very short lifeimes and undergo spontaneous radioactive decay.