97
Bk
247
Berkelium
General | States | Energies
Oxidation & Electrons | Appearance & Characteristics
Reactions | Compounds | Radius | Conductivity
Abundance & Isotopes

Berkelium Radioactive




General:

Name: Berkelium Symbol: Bk
Type: Synthetic Metal Atomic weight: 247
Density @ 293 K: 14.79 g/cm3 Atomic volume: 16.7 cm3/mol
Discovered: Berkelium was first produced at the University of California, Berkeley in December 1949 in a particle accelerator.

States

State (s, l, g): solid
Melting point: 1259.2 K   (986 oC) Boiling point: K   ( oC)

Energies

Specific heat capacity: J g-1 K-1 Heat of atomization: kJ mol-1
Heat of fusion: kJ mol-1 Heat of vaporization (sublimation): kJ mol-1
1st ionization energy: 601 kJ mol-1 2nd ionization energy: kJ mol-1
3rd ionization energy: kJ mol-1 Electron affinity: kJ mol-1

Oxidation & Electrons

Shells: 2,8,18,32,27,8,2 Electron configuration: [Rn] 5f9 7s2
Minimum oxidation number: 0 Maximum oxidation number: 4
Min. common oxidation no.: 0 Max. common oxidation no.: 3
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale): 1.3 Polarizability volume: 22.7 Å3

Appearance & Characteristics

Structure: hcp: hexagonal close packed Color: silvery gray (assumed)
Harmful effects: Radioactive. Hardness: mohs
Characteristics: Radioactive. Berkelium has only been produced in minute amounts. 249Bk (half-life 320 days) is produced in a nuclear reactor by beta decay of curium. Elemental berkelium is a silvery metal, easily soluble in dilute mineral acids, and readily oxidized by air or oxygen at elevated temperatures to form the oxide.
Uses: no uses

Reactions

Reaction with air: Reaction with 6 M HCl:
Reaction with 15 M HNO3: Reaction with 6 M NaOH:

Compounds

Oxide(s): BkO, BkO2, BkO3 Chloride(s): BkCl3
Hydride(s):

Radius

Atomic radius: 170 pm Ionic radius (1+ ion): pm
Ionic radius (2+ ion): pm Ionic radius (3+ ion): 96 pm
Ionic radius (2- ion): pm Ionic radius (1- ion): pm

Conductivity

Thermal conductivity: 10 W m-1 K-1 Electrical conductivity: S cm-1

Abundance & Isotopes

Abundance earth's crust: 0 ppm by weight, 0 ppm by moles
Abundance solar system: 0 parts per billion by weight, 0 parts per billion by moles
Cost, pure: $/100g
Cost, bulk: $/100g
Source: In the nuclear fuel cycle, 249Bk (half-life 320 days) is produced by beta decay of curium.
Isotopes: 12 isotpoes. 247Bk has the longest half life of 1380 years.