Cf

Californium

Identification

CAS Number: 7440-71-3

Discovery Year: 1950

Discoverer: G.T.Seaborg, S.G.Tompson, A.Ghiorso, K.Street Jr.

Discovery Location: United States

Properties

Atomic Mass: 251 →Density: 15.1 g/cm³ →

Atomic Dimensions

Van der Waals Radius: 245.00000000000003 pm

Thermodynamics

Melting Point: 900 K →

Heat of Formation: 196 kJ/mol

Electronic Structure

Electron Config: [Rn] 5f10 7s2

Block: f

Period: 7 →

Oxidation States: +3, +4

Abundance & Geochemistry

Goldschmidt Class: synthetic

About

Radioactive metallic transuranic element. Belongs to actinoid series. Cf-251 has a half life of about 700 years. Nine isotopes are known. Cf-252 is an intense Neutron source, which makes it an intense Neutron source and gives it a use in Neutron activation analysis and a possible use as a radiation source in medicine. First produced by Glenn T. Seaborg and associates in 1950.

Isotopes

Cf-249 249 ☢ 351 a

Cf-250 250 ☢ 13.1 a

Cf-251 251 ☢ 900 a

Cf-252 252 ☢ 2.65 a