Berkelium (pronounced /bərˈkiːli.əm/ bər-KEE-lee-əm, less commonly /ˈbɜrkli.əm/ BERK-lee-əm) is a synthetic element with the symbol Bk and atomic number 97. A radioactive metallic element in the actinide series, berkelium was first synthesized by bombarding americium with alpha particles (helium ions) and was named after the University of California, Berkeley. Berkelium was the fifth transuranic element to be synthesized.
Weighable amounts of Bk ...
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Berkelium (pronounced /bərˈkiːli.əm/ bər-KEE-lee-əm, less commonly /ˈbɜrkli.əm/ BERK-lee-əm) is a synthetic element with the symbol Bk and atomic number 97. A radioactive metallic element in the actinide series, berkelium was first synthesized by bombarding americium with alpha particles (helium ions) and was named after the University of California, Berkeley. Berkelium was the fifth transuranic element to be synthesized.
Weighable amounts of Bk (half-life 330 days) make it possible to determine some of its properties using macroscopic quantities. It is a silvery metal that would easily oxidize in air at elevated temperatures and would be soluble in dilute mineral acids.
X-ray diffraction techniques have been used to identify various berkelium compounds such as berkelium dioxide (BkO2), berkelium fluoride (BkF3), berkelium oxychloride (BkOCl), and berkelium trioxide (BkO3). In 1962, visible amounts of berkelium chloride (BkCl3) were isolated that weighed 3 billionths of a gram. The...
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