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Element 98 - Californium (Cf)
After the state and University of California; discovered 1950. Not until 1960 did californium exist in visible amounts. But the three-tenths of a millionth of a gram of californium oxychloride is enough to provide scientists with a veritable textbook on the element.
Properties
Atomic Number
:
98
Atomic Weight
:
(251)
Electron Configuration
(at ground state):
1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
3d
10
4s
2
4p
6
4d
10
5s
2
5p
6
4f
14
5d
10
5f
10
6s
2
6p
6
7s
2
Oxidation States
(Bold most stable):
+3
Melting Point (K):
1170
Mass Number
(Bold naturally occurring) --
Half-Life
--
Disintigration Type
:
249 -- 351 years --
alpha particle
emission
251 -- 900 years --
alpha particle
emission
First
Ionization Potential
(V):
6.3
Electronegativity
(Pauling's):
1.3
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m
-1
K
-1
):
10