What is Berkelium?
Berkelium is a metal chemical element classified in a series of actinide on the periodic table of elements. It does not exist naturally, although various isotopes and compounds of Berkelia have been produced in the laboratories. Since the element is rare and difficult to create, it has no commercial use, although it occasionally appears in research. Berkelium is produced by neutron bombing of other elements, usually America.
The appearance of Berkelia is unknown because no one has been able to isolate the element in pure form. It is assumed that silvery gray, such as its neighbors on the periodic table, and is reactive, so it is likely to form an oxidation film when exposed to air. Berkelium is certainly radioactive and seems to have two allotropic forms, which means that its structure can vary in solid state. It is identified with the BK symbol in the periodic table of elements and has an atomic number 97.
The element was discovered by the team of teams leading Glenn Seaborg at the University of California in Berkeley in 1949. Seaborg was alsoa man behind the discovery of several other actinides, including Plutonium, Curium and Nobelium, among other things; In 1951 he won the Nobel Prize for his efforts. The team named the element for the university and the city of its discovery.
Like many other synthetically produced elements, Berkelium has not been made in very large quantities, because it is difficult to produce and many of its isotopes have a very short half -life. Because the element is both rare and unstable, no real use beyond experimental chemistry has not been developed for it. Scientists hope that further study of the element can be able to identify other isotopes, some of which could be potentially useful if they could be stabilized.
Like other radioactive elements, Berkelium is a potentially dangerous human health. However, most people will never meet this element because it does not exist in nature. In the laboratories where Berkelium is synthetiResearchers take measures to ensure that the element and its by -products are safely processed. Berkelium seems to have the potential of bioaccumulation in human tissue and does not serve any biological function, but potentially causes health problems.