Berkelium (Bk) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Berkelium element (Bk) is in period 7 of a periodic table. Berkelium is in the f-block and it is classified as an actinide on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to berkelium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Berkelium element (Information Table)
• Berkelium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Berkelium
• Properties of Berkelium
• Uses of Berkelium

Berkelium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to berkelium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of berkelium	Silvery white appearance
Atomic number of berkelium	97
Symbol of berkelium	Bk
Atomic mass of berkelium (most stable isotope)	247 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in berkelium	Protons: 97, Neutrons: 150, Electrons: 97
State of berkelium (at STP)	Solid
Period number of berkelium in periodic table	7
Block of berkelium in periodic table	f-block
Category of berkelium	Inner transition metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in berkelium	2, 8, 18, 32, 27, 8, 2
Electron configuration of berkelium	[Rn] 5f9 7s2
Orbital diagram of berkelium
Atomic radius of berkelium (van der Waals radius)	244 picometers
Density of berkelium	14.79 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of berkelium	6.23 eV
Main isotopes of berkelium	247Bk and 249Bk
Melting point of berkelium	1259 K or 986 °C or 1807 °F
Crystal structure of berkelium	Double Hexagonal Close Packing (DHCP)
Discovery of berkelium	By Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, Kenneth Street Jr. and Stanley G. Thompson (in 1949)

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Berkelium element in Periodic table

The Berkelium element (Bk) has the atomic number 97 and is located in period 7. Berkelium is a metal and it is classified as an actinide group element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about berkelium

Here are a few interesting facts about the berkelium element.

1. Glenn T. Seaborg, Albert Ghiorso, Kenneth Street Jr. and Stanley G. Thompson discovered berkelium in the year 1949.
2. Berkelium was given its name from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory which is in California.
3. ²⁴⁷Bk is the isotope of berkelium which has a half life of 1380 years.
4. Berkelium is not available naturally and it can only be prepared in the laboratory.

Properties of berkelium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of berkelium.

Physical properties of berkelium

• Berkelium has a silvery white metallic appearance.
• The most stable isotope of berkelium has the atomic mass 247 amu and its density is 14.79 g/cm³.
• Berkelium has a DHCP (double hexagonal close packed) crystal structure at room temperature.

Chemical properties of berkelium

• At higher temperatures, berkelium reacts with oxygen and forms a thin oxide layer.
• Berkelium can be dissolved in aqueous mineral acids and it liberates hydrogen gas during this reaction.
• Berkelium also reacts with hydrogen and halogens.

Uses of berkelium

Berkelium is generally used for research work and it does not have any commercial uses because of its radioactive nature.

External resources:

1. Berkelium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Berkelium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/97/berkelium
2. Berkelium – Wikipedia. (2010, March 1). Berkelium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkelium
3. P. (n.d.). Berkelium | Bk (Element) – PubChem. Berkelium | Bk (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/Berkelium
4. It’s Elemental – The Element Berkelium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Berkelium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele097.html
5. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
6. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
7. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
8. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
9. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
10. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
11. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
12. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – BERKELIUM. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – BERKELIUM. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/berkelium.html?
13. Thompson, S., Ghiorso, A., & Seaborg, G. (1950, April 26). THE NEW ELEMENT BERKELIUM (ATOMIC NUMBER 97). https://doi.org/10.2172/932815
14. Thompson, S. G., Ghiorso, A., & Seaborg, G. T. (1950, December 1). The New Element Berkelium (Atomic Number 97). Physical Review, 80(5), 781–789. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrev.80.781