Actinides
Berkelium
A rare synthetic metal used to make heavier elements.
Atomic #97Mass[247]Blockf-blockPeriod7Group—
Bk97 · [247]
3D Atom Explorer
Inside the Berkelium atom
Switch between Bohr and Quantum Cloud modes to compare a simple teaching model with a more realistic probability-based view, and follow the guided tour to explore the Berkelium atom step by step.
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Electron configuration
[Rn] 5f9 7s2
A neutral Berkelium atom has 97 electrons (equal to its proton count). Choosing a different isotope above changes only the neutron count.
Shell distribution
Shell 12 e⁻Shell 28 e⁻Shell 318 e⁻Shell 432 e⁻Shell 527 e⁻Shell 68 e⁻Shell 72 e⁻
Electrons fill inner shells before outer ones; the outermost (valence) shell drives the element's chemistry.
Properties
Physical & atomic properties
- State (room temp)
- Solid
- Melting point
- 1259 K (986 °C)
- Boiling point
- 2900 K (2627 °C)
- Density
- 14.79 g/cm³
- Electronegativity
- 1.3 Pauling
- Atomic radius
- —
- 1st ionization energy
- 601 kJ/mol
- Category
- Actinides
History
Discovery & naming
- Discovered
- 1949
- Discovered by
- Glenn Seaborg and colleagues
- Origin of name
- Berkeley, California.
Notable uses
Scientific research only.
Cosmic origin
Where Berkelium comes from
Human synthesis
Synthetic, made in high-flux reactors. Only fractions of a gram have ever been produced.
Simplified origin map — many elements form through more than one astrophysical pathway.
Summary
- Atomic number
- 97
- Atomic mass
- [247]
- Category
- Actinides
- Group · Period
- — · 7
- Block
- f-block
- Shells
- 2 · 8 · 18 · 32 · 27 · 8 · 2