Californium

Californium is a synthetic, radioactive transuranic chemical element that has the symbol Cf the atomic number of 98. Californium does not normally exist in nature, so Californium is produced in nuclear reactors and particle accelerators, created by bombarding a curium target with alpha particles (helium ions). Californium is named after the US State of California, where it was discovered, in the University of Berkeley.

There are 20 known isotopes of Californium. The most stable is californium-251, which has a half-life of 898 years, but Californium-252 has a half-life of 2.645 years, so it is the most common isotope used. This means the element can not be found in the Earth's crust.

Compounds of californium are mostly of californium(III), which can take part in three chemical bonds. Californium can be used to help start up nuclear reactors, and is used as a source of neutrons. It can be used in making higher mass elements such as Oganesson, which was synthesized by bombarding californium-249 atoms with calcium-48 ions.

Safety

When californium is used, workers must be protected from the element's ability to disrupt the formation of red blood cells.

References

↑ Krebs, Robert 2006. The history and use of our Earth's chemical elements: a reference guide. Greenwood, p327/8. ISBN 978-0-313-33438-2

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[1] Krebs, Robert 2006. The history and use of our Earth's chemical elements: a reference guide. Greenwood, p327/8. ISBN 978-0-313-33438-2