Berkelium

Atomic number

97

Atomic mass (u)

247.07031

Category

Actinide

Standard state

Solid

Melting point

1049.85 °C (1323 K)

Boiling point

Not reported

Density (g/cm³)

14

Electronegativity (Pauling)

1.3

Electron configuration

[Rn]7s2 5f9

Oxidation states

+4, +3

Atomic radius (pm)

244

First ionization energy (eV)

6.23

Discovery & recognition

Discovery year / period (PubChem)

1949

Discovery credited to (RSC)

Stanley Thompson, Albert Ghiorso, and Glenn Seaborg

Date or period recorded by RSC

1949

Discovery place

Berkeley, California, United States

An ancient date does not identify a first human discovery. Different references may date observation, isolation and formal recognition differently.

Natural occurrence & production

This transuranium element is primarily produced through nuclear reactions in reactors or particle accelerators. Some transuranium elements also occur naturally in extremely small traces; that is different from a mineable deposit.

“Less than a gram of berkelium is made each year.”

Royal Society of Chemistry · occurrence excerpt ↗

Continue the research

Reference values are not product specifications. Blank values have not been estimated. For superheavy elements, some properties and family assignments are theoretical or incompletely measured.