Table of Contents

1. What is berkelium?

2. Who discovered berkelium?

3. What is berkelium used for?

4. Where was berkelium discovered?

5. How many neutrons does berkelium have?

 

 

What is berkelium?

 

Berkelium is a chemical element that has the atomic number (Z) 97. Its mass number is 247 and it is represented by the symbol Bk. It is in the actinide series and period 7 of the periodic table. Berkelium is an f-block and radioactive element. Berkelium has 97 electrons and its electronegativity is 1.3 (Pauling scale). The electronic configuration of Berkelium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 5f9 6d0 7s2. Its oxidation states are +2, +3, +4, and +5. It dissolved in inorganic acids producing gaseous hydrogen. At room temperature, it does not react rapidly with oxygen. 

Berkelium is a synthetic element. Some twenty isotopes and six nuclear isomers have been identified.

At STP it is in the solid phase and has a density of 14.78 g/cm3 (alpha allotrope). Its melting point is (beta allotrope) 1259 K ?(986 °C, ?1807 °F) and boiling point is (beta allotrope) 2900 K ?(2627 °C, ?4760 °F).

Berkelium was synthesized in a 60-inch cyclotron at the University of California, Berkeley. It was discovered and identified by a group of scientists (Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, Stanley G. Thompson, and Kenneth Street, Jr) in 1949. It was named after    Berkeley, California, where it was discovered.

Berkelium has a very short half-life in nature it is difficult to find even in a very trace amount. Berkelium can be found in nuclear test sites. It can also be collected from nuclear reactors.

Berkelium has no practical application but a little in basic scientific research. Berkelium-249 is used in the production of heavy elements such as lawrencium, rutherfordium, and bohrium.

 

Who discovered berkelium?

 

Berkelium was isolated, identified, and purified by a group of scientists namely Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, Stanley G. Thompson, and Kenneth Street, Jr.  Berkelium is a synthetic element. They use 60 inches cyclotron at the University of California, Berkeley for its preparation.

 

What is berkelium used for?

 

Berkelium has no commercial uses but has some basic uses in the lab. Berkelium-249 is used in the production of heavy elements such as lawrencium, rutherfordium, and bohrium.

 

Where was berkelium discovered?

 

Berkelium was discovered in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1949. Scientists who prepare it were Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, Stanley G. Thompson, and Kenneth Street, Jr. Berkelium was named after Berkeley, California, where it was discovered.

 

How many neutrons does berkelium have?

 

Berkelium has 150 neutrons in its nucleus.