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Berkelium

Element 97 · Actinide

Specimen

Atomic number
97
Atomic mass
247.07
State at room temperature
Solid
Melting point
1,050 °C
Boiling point
Unknown
Density
14 g/cm³
Discovered
1949

Physical data from PubChem.1

Can I eat it?

In food and water
Radioactive. All berkelium is radioactive. Reactors make less than one gram each year. Its radiation is the main danger. 2

See every element.

The atom

Bk
ShellElectrons
1 (K) 2
2 (L) 8
3 (M) 18
4 (N) 32
5 (O) 27
6 (P) 8
7 (Q) outermost 2
Total97

Configuration [Rn] 5f⁹ 7s²

5f ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
7s ↑ ↓
A shell diagram: each ring is an electron shell and each dot is one electron. The nucleus holds 97 protons. The outermost shell is shown in red. Electrons do not travel on rings: they fill orbitals, regions where an electron is likely to be found. The boxes are those orbitals for the electrons outside the Rn core, with one arrow per electron.

Related elements

Actinides
Ac Actinium Th Thorium Pa Protactinium U Uranium Np Neptunium Pu Plutonium Am Americium Cm Curium Cf Californium Es Einsteinium Fm Fermium Md Mendelevium No Nobelium Lr Lawrencium

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Sources

  1. 1

    National Center for Biotechnology Information (PubChem), 2026. Periodic Table of Elements .

    Atomic mass, electron configuration, melting and boiling points, density and discovery year for all 118 elements.

  2. 2

    Royal Society of Chemistry, Periodic Table, 2026. Berkelium - Element information, properties and uses .

    Reference page; its Biological role and Natural abundance sections are quoted.

    • Berkelium has no known biological role. It is toxic due to its radioactivity. Natural abundance Less than a gram of berkelium is made each year.