97

Bk

Berkelium
[ 247 ]
 Historical Information

Berkelium was discovered in December 1949 at Berkeley, Californi, USA, by Ghiorso and others by cyclotron bombardment of milligram amounts of americium with helium ions. Perhaps the first visible amounts of a pure berkelium compound, berkelium chloride, was produced in 1962. It weighed just 3 billionth of a gram.
Basic Information Shells
  • Name:Berkelium
  • Symbol: Bk
  • Atomic number: 97
  • Atomic weight: [ 247 ]
  • Standard state: solid at 298 K
  • Group in periodic table:
  • Group name:Actinoid
  • Period in periodic table: 7
  • Block in periodic table: f-block
  • Classification: Metallic
 Berkelium
Uses Trivia
  • It has no uses.

Berkelium is a radioactive rare earth metal, named after the University of California at Berkeley (USA). Apparently, berkelium tends to accumulate in the skeletal system. It is of no commercial importance and only a few of its compounds are known.