Californium

Californium
Californium block | Image: Learnool

Californium (Cf) is a chemical element of the periodic table, located in the period 7, and has the atomic number 98. It is the tenth element in the actinide series. It is a soft, malleable, silvery-white metal which is named after the state of California, where it was first made. It is the sixth transuranium element and is counted as one of the radioactive elements.

On periodic table

group 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
period
1 1
H
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Hydrogen
2
He
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Helium
2 3
Li
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Lithium
4
Be
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Beryllium
5
B
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Boron
6
C
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Carbon
7
N
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Nitrogen
8
O
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Oxygen
9
F
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Fluorine
10
Ne
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Neon
3 11
Na
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Sodium
12
Mg
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Magnesium
13
Al
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Aluminium
14
Si
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Silicon
15
P
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Phosphorus
16
S
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Sulfur
17
Cl
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Chlorine
18
Ar
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Argon
4 19
K
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Potassium
20
Ca
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Calcium
21
Sc
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Scandium
22
Ti
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Titanium
23
V
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Vanadium
24
Cr
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Chromium
25
Mn
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Manganese
26
Fe
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Iron
27
Co
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Cobalt
28
Ni
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Nickel
29
Cu
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Copper
30
Zn
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Zinc
31
Ga
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Gallium
32
Ge
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Germanium
33
As
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Arsenic
34
Se
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Selenium
35
Br
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Bromine
36
Kr
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Krypton
5 37
Rb
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Rubidium
38
Sr
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Strontium
39
Y
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Yttrium
40
Zr
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Zirconium
41
Nb
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Niobium
42
Mo
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Molybdenum
43
Tc
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Technetium
44
Ru
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Ruthenium
45
Rh
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Rhodium
46
Pd
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Palladium
47
Ag
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Silver
48
Cd
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Cadmium
49
In
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Indium
50
Sn
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Tin
51
Sb
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Antimony
52
Te
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Tellurium
53
I
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Iodine
54
Xe
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Xenon
6 55
Cs
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Caesium
56
Ba
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Barium
72
Hf
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Hafnium
73
Ta
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Tantalum
74
W
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Tungsten
75
Re
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Rhenium
76
Os
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Osmium
77
Ir
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Iridium
78
Pt
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Platinum
79
Au
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Gold
80
Hg
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Mercury
81
Tl
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Thallium
82
Pb
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Lead
83
Bi
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Bismuth
84
Po
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Polonium
85
At
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Astatine
86
Rn
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Radon
7 87
Fr
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Francium
88
Ra
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Radium
104
Rf
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Rutherfordium
105
Db
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Dubnium
106
Sg
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Seaborgium
107
Bh
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Bohrium
108
Hs
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Hassium
109
Mt
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Meitnerium
110
Ds
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Darmstadtium
111
Rg
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Roentgenium
112
Cn
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Copernicium
113
Nh
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Nihonium
114
Fl
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Flerovium
115
Mc
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Moscovium
116
Lv
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Livermorium
117
Ts
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Tennessine
118
Og
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Oganesson
57
La
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Lanthanum
58
Ce
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Cerium
59
Pr
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Praseodymium
60
Nd
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Neodymium
61
Pm
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Promethium
62
Sm
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Samarium
63
Eu
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Europium
64
Gd
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Gadolinium
65
Tb
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Terbium
66
Dy
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Dysprosium
67
Ho
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Holmium
68
Er
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Erbium
69
Tm
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Thulium
70
Yb
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Ytterbium
71
Lu
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Lutetium
89
Ac
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Actinium
90
Th
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Thorium
91
Pa
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Protactinium
92
U
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Uranium
93
Np
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Neptunium
94
Pu
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Plutonium
95
Am
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Americium
96
Cm
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Curium
97
Bk
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Berkelium
98
Cf
Californium
99
Es
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Einsteinium
100
Fm
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Fermium
101
Md
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Mendelevium
102
No
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Nobelium
103
Lr
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Lawrencium
– f block

Californium (Cf) is located on the periodic table in the actinide series, which is a group of elements located at the bottom of the table. Specifically, in period 7, between berkelium (Bk) and einsteinium (Es).

Element information

Californium Element
Californium appearance | Image: Wikipedia
Californium Periodic Table
Californium location on periodic table | Image: Learnool
Californium is found in the seventh row of the periodic table, next to the berkelium element.
Origin of name named after California
Symbol Cf
Atomic number (Z) 98
Atomic mass (251)
Block f-block
Period 7
Classification Actinide
Melting point 900 ℃, 1652 ℉, 1173 K
Boiling point 1470 ℃, 2678 ℉, 1470 K
Electron configuration [Rn] 5f10 7s2
Learn how to write: Californium electron configuration
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 28, 8, 2
Learn how to draw: Californium Bohr model
Crystal structure Double hexagonal close-packed (dhcp)
Phase at r.t Solid
Density near r.t 15.1 g/cm3
Natural occurrence Synthetic
Oxidation state +3
Electronegativity (Pauling scale) 1.3
Protons
Neutrons
Electrons
98
153
98
Learn how to find: Californium protons neutrons electrons
CAS number 7440-71-3
Discovered at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1950

History

Californium was first synthesized in 1950 by a team of researchers led by Stanley G. Thompson, Kenneth Street Jr., and Albert Ghiorso at the University of California, Berkeley. They bombarded curium-242 with alpha particles in a cyclotron, producing californium-245. The discovery was kept secret until 1952 due to its potential military applications.

The element was named after the state of California, where it was discovered, and is represented by the symbol Cf. Californium was the sixth transuranium element to be discovered and the first element to be produced in amounts large enough to see with the naked eye.

Since its discovery, californium has been extensively studied for its nuclear properties and potential applications. It has been used in various applications, including as a neutron source for scientific research and as a component in nuclear reactors.

Occurrence and production

Californium is not found naturally on Earth, as it is a synthetic element that can only be produced in a laboratory or nuclear reactor. However, trace amounts of californium have been detected in the fallout from nuclear weapons tests and in the spent fuel of nuclear reactors.

Californium can be produced by bombarding plutonium-239 or curium-244 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. It can also be produced by bombarding americium-241 with alpha particles in a cyclotron. Californium is produced in very small quantities, and its isolation and purification are difficult and expensive processes. As a result, it has limited practical applications and is mainly used for scientific research.

Properties

Californium is a silvery-white metal that is highly radioactive and can emit alpha, beta, and gamma rays.

It has a melting point of 900 ℃ and a boiling point of approximately 1470 ℃.

Californium has an atomic number of 98 and a standard atomic weight of 251 g/mol.

It is a rare earth element and belongs to the actinide series.

Californium is paramagnetic, meaning it is weakly attracted to magnetic fields.

It has a relatively short half-life, with its most stable isotope, californium-251, having a half-life of about 900 years.

The element is highly reactive and can form compounds with a variety of other elements, including oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon.

Californium is one of the few elements that can undergo nuclear fission, and it has been used in experiments to study nuclear reactions and the production of heavy elements.

Due to its radioactivity and short half-life, Californium has no commercial applications outside of scientific research.

The element is extremely toxic and poses a significant health hazard, so its handling and storage require specialized equipment and procedures.

Applications

Californium-252 is a strong neutron emitter and can be used as a neutron source for various purposes, including in oil exploration, nuclear reactors, and medical applications.

Californium-252 is also used in cancer radiation therapy to treat tumors. The neutrons emitted by californium-252 can penetrate deep into the body and kill cancer cells.

Californium-252 can be used in nuclear reactors to start the fission process by emitting neutrons that cause other atoms to split, releasing more neutrons and energy.

Californium-252 can be used in nuclear forensics to identify nuclear materials and detect nuclear explosions.

Californium-252 is used in industrial radiography to detect defects in welds, castings, and other materials.

Californium-252 can be used in metal detectors to detect hidden metals by emitting neutrons that cause the metals to emit gamma rays.

Interesting facts

Californium is one of the most expensive chemical elements, costing about $27 million per gram.

It was named after the state of California, where it was first synthesized.

Californium-252 is a potent neutron emitter and is used in nuclear reactors, cancer treatment, and oil exploration.

Californium is the heaviest element that can be produced in nuclear reactors.

The half-life of Californium-252 is only 2.6 years, and it decays into lighter elements by emitting alpha particles.

Californium-252 is also used in industrial radiography and as a neutron source in moisture gauges and metal detectors.

It is a highly radioactive element and requires special handling and storage precautions.

Californium-252 is also used in the detection of gold and silver ores by the activation analysis method.

The University of California Radiation Laboratory played a significant role in the discovery and synthesis of Californium in the 1950s.

Californium has no known biological role and is highly toxic due to its radioactivity.

Related

More elements

s block
p block
d block
f block
Barium Aluminium Bohrium Actinium
Beryllium Antimony Cadmium Americium
Caesium Argon Chromium Berkelium
Calcium Arsenic Cobalt Californium
Francium Astatine Copernicium Cerium
Helium Bismuth Copper Curium
Hydrogen Boron Darmstadtium Dysprosium
Lithium Bromine Dubnium Einsteinium
Magnesium Carbon Gold Erbium
Potassium Chlorine Hafnium Europium
Radium Flerovium Hassium Fermium
Rubidium Fluorine Iridium Gadolinium
Sodium Gallium Iron Holmium
Strontium Germanium Lawrencium Lanthanum
Indium Lutetium Mendelevium
Iodine Manganese Neodymium
Krypton Meitnerium Neptunium
Lead Mercury Nobelium
Livermorium Molybdenum Plutonium
Moscovium Nickel Praseodymium
Neon Niobium Promethium
Nihonium Osmium Protactinium
Nitrogen Palladium Samarium
Oganesson Platinum Terbium
Oxygen Rhenium Thorium
Phosphorus Rhodium Thulium
Polonium Roentgenium Uranium
Radon Ruthenium Ytterbium
Selenium Rutherfordium
Silicon Scandium
Sulfur Seaborgium
Tellurium Silver
Tennessine Tantalum
Thallium Technetium
Tin Titanium
Xenon Tungsten
Vanadium
Yttrium
Zinc
Zirconium

External links

Deep

Learnool.com was founded by Deep Rana, who is a mechanical engineer by profession and a blogger by passion. He has a good conceptual knowledge on different educational topics and he provides the same on this website. He loves to learn something new everyday and believes that the best utilization of free time is developing a new skill.

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