Berkelium
Berkelium (锫, symbol Bk) is chemical element number 97, an Actinide in period 7 of the periodic table, with a standard atomic weight of about 247. Silvery synthetic radioactive metal. Named for Berkeley, California.
Properties
| Atomic number | 97 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Bk |
| Atomic mass | 247 u |
| Category | Actinide |
| Period | 7 |
| Group | — |
| Electron configuration | [Rn] 5f⁹ 7s² |
| Electronegativity | 1.3 |
| Covalent radius | — |
| Density | 14.79 g/cm³ |
| Melting point | 1259 K |
| Boiling point | 2900 K |
| Discovery | Thompson, Ghiorso, Seaborg, 1949 |
Overview
Silvery synthetic radioactive metal. Named for Berkeley, California. Element 97, Berkelium (Bk), is an Actinide found in period 7. As an actinide it is typically radioactive and closely tied to nuclear technology.
With 2 electrons in its outermost shell, Berkelium bonds accordingly; full configuration [Rn] 5f⁹ 7s², electronegativity 1.3. At room temperature it is normally a solid; it melts near 1259 K (985.9 °C), boils near 2900 K (2626.9 °C), has a density around 14.79 g/cm³.
Common applications range across Research. On the safety side, it carries a high hazard rating. It was first described by Thompson, Ghiorso, Seaborg in 1949. See more trends in the visualization center.
Electron shells
Electrons per shell: 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 27 · 8 · 2
Main uses
- Research
Hazard
Compounds containing Berkelium
No compounds in this knowledge base contain Berkelium yet.
Data sources
Atomic mass uses IUPAC (CIAAW) standard atomic weights; the covalent radius is from Cordero et al. (2008). Verify on the RSC Periodic Table, PubChem and Wikipedia. Educational reference only.