Discovery Information
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Who: G.T.Seaborg, S.G.Tompson, A. Ghiorso |
When: 1949 |
Where: United States |
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Name Origin
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After Berkeley the home town of the University of California. |
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Sources
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Some compounds have been made and studied. Made by bombarding americium with alpha particles.
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Uses
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None. |
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Notes
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Weighable amounts of 249Bk (half-life 314 days) make it possible to determine some of its properties using macroscopic quantities.
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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.
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It is of no commercial importance and only a few of its compounds are known. |