Berkelium [Bk] (CAS-ID: 7440-40-6) locate me
An: 97 N: 150 Am: [ 247 ]
Group Name: Actinoid
Block: f-block  Period: 7 (actinoid)
State: solid
Colour: unknown, but probably metallic and silvery white or grey in appearance Classification: Metallic
Boiling Point: unknown (unknown)
Melting Point: 1259K (986'C)
Density: (alpha) 14.78g/cm3
Density: (beta) 13.25g/cm3
Shell Structure diagram | Atomic Radius diagram
Isotopes | More Info
Discovery Information
Who: G.T.Seaborg, S.G.Tompson, A. Ghiorso
When: 1949
Where: United States
Name Origin
After Berkeley the home town of the University of California.
Sources
Some compounds have been made and studied. Made by bombarding americium with alpha particles.
Uses
None.
Notes
Weighable amounts of 249Bk (half-life 314 days) make it possible to determine some of its properties using macroscopic quantities.
Berkelium is a radioactive rare earth metal. It is named after the University of California at Berkeley (USA). Apparently, berkelium tends to accumulate in the skeletal system.
It is of no commercial importance and only a few of its compounds are known.