Bk
Berkelium
Atomic number: 97Mass: 247 uCategory: Actinide
About Berkelium
Berkelium is a transuranic radioactive element and is the actinide element with the atomic number 97. It was first synthesised in December 1949 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and named after the city of Berkeley, California.
Properties
Period
7
Group
N/A
Block
F
Category
Actinide
Electronegativity
1.30 (Pauling)
Ionization Energy
601 kJ/mol
Melting Point
1259 K (986°C)
Boiling Point
2900 K (2627°C)
Density
14.78 g/cm³
Oxidation States
+3, +4
Electron Configuration
1s² 2s² 2p⁶ 3s² 3p⁶ 3d¹⁰ 4s² 4p⁶ 4d¹⁰ 4f¹⁴ 5s² 5p⁶ 5d¹⁰ 6s² 6p⁶ 5f⁹ 7s²
[Rn] 5f⁹ 7s²
Shell 1:2e⁻
Shell 2:8e⁻
Shell 3:18e⁻
Shell 4:32e⁻
Shell 5:27e⁻
Shell 6:8e⁻
Shell 7:2e⁻
Real-World Uses
Synthesis of heavier elements
Research only
Nuclear physics studies
No practical applications
Fundamental science
Fun Fact
Berkelium was used to create element 117 (tennessine) — it took 2 years just to create enough berkelium to start the experiment!