Berkelium
From Chemistry Resource
| Berkelium | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Bk |
| Atomic number | 97 |
| Atomic mass | (247) amu |
Berkelium, was named after the University of California in Berkeley, where scientists detected all eleven transuranium elements. Berkelium can be obtained by use of accelerators at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley.
Berkelium was discovered in 1949. 249Bk has a half-life of 314 days and can be made in microgram (10-6 gram) quantities from 239Pu.
Shown in the image is a highly magnified sample of a 20 nanogram (10-9 gram) sample of berkelium as its dioxide.
