The mineralogy of Californium
| About Californium |
|---|
| Californium is a radioactive transuranic element that has only been produced in nuclear reactors. It is possible that some californium and other transuranic elements were created in the natural nuclear reactor in Oklo, Gabon. |
| General Properties | |
|---|---|
| Symbol: | Cf |
| Atomic Number: | 98 |
| Standard atomic weight (Ar): | [251] |
| Electron configuration: | [Rn] 5f10 7s2 |
| Photos | ||
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Californium disc |
| Atomic Properties | |
|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling scale): | 1.3 |
| Ionic Radius: | 95 pm (+3) |
| 1st Ionization energy: | 608 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation States: | 2,3,4 |
| Physical Properties | |
|---|---|
| Standard State: | solid |
| Bonding Type: | metallic |
| Melting Point: | 1173 K |
| Density: | 15.1 g/cm3 |
| Metal/Non-Metal: | actinoid |
| Main isotopes of Californium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isotope | % in Nature | Half Life | Decay type | Decay product |
| 248Cf | synthetic | 333.5d | α | 244Cm |
| Spontaneous fission | ||||
| 249Cf | synthetic | 351y | α | 245Cm |
| Spontaneous fission | ||||
| 250Cf | synthetic | 13.08y | α | 246Cm |
| Spontaneous fission | ||||
| 251Cf | synthetic | 898y | α | 247Cm |
| 252Cf | synthetic | 2.645y | α | 258Cm |
| Spontaneous fission | ||||
| 253Cf | synthetic | 17.81d | β− | 253Es |
| α | 249Cm | |||
| 254Cf | synthetic | 60.5d | Spontaneous fission | |
| α | 250Cm | |||
| Main ions of Californium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Ion | Example minerals | ||
| californium(II) | Cf2+ | |||
| californium(III) | Cf3+ | |||
| californium(IV) | Cf4+ | |||
| Other Information | |
|---|---|
| Year Discovered: | 1950 |
| Discovered By: |  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
| Named For: | California, where it was discovered |
| CPK color coding: | #A136D4 |
| External Links: | WikipediaWebElementsLos Alamos National LaboratoryTheodore Gray's PeriodicTable.com |