Californium

Californium is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol Cf and atomic number 98. The element was first synthesized in 1950 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (then the University of California Radiation Laboratory), by bombarding curium with alpha particles (helium-4 ions). It is an actinide element, the sixth transuraniutransuraniumm element to be synthesized, and has the second-highest atomic mass of all the elements that have been produced in amounts large enough to see with the naked eye (after einsteinium). The element was named after the university and the U.S. state of California.

Two crystalline forms exist for californium under normal pressure: one above and one below 900 °C (1,650 °F). A third form exists at high pressure. Californium slowly tarnishes in air at room temperature. Californium compounds are dominated by the +3 oxidation state. The most stable of californium's twenty known isotopes is californium-251, which has a half-life of 898 years. This short half-life means the element is not found in significant quantities in the Earth's crust.[a] Californium-252, with a half-life of about 2.645 years, is the most common isotope used and is produced at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the United States and the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Russia.

Californium is one of the few trans uranium elements that have practical applications. Most of these applications exploit the property of certain isotopes of californium to emit neutrons. For example, californium can be used to help start-up nuclear reactors, and it is employed as a source of neutrons when studying materials using neutron diffraction and neutron spectroscopy. Californium can also be used in the nuclear synthesis of higher mass elements; oganesson (element 118) was synthesized by bombarding californium-249 atoms with calcium-48 ions. Users of californium must take into account radiological concerns and the element's ability to disrupt the formation of red blood cells by bioaccumulating in skeletal tissue.

CALIFORNIUM PRICE

The cost of Californium is around Rs 17 cr per gram. Californium is a radioactive element and a very good source of neutrons and this property makes it useful in a nuclear power plant. Californium, named after California University, is a radio metallic chemical element.

ISOTOPES

Twenty radioisotopes of californium have been characterized, the most stable being californium-251 with a half-life of 898 years, californium-249 with a half-life of 351 years, californium-250 with a half-life of 13.08 years, and californium-252 with a half-life of 2.645 years.[10] All the remaining isotopes have half-lives shorter than a year, and the majority of these have half-lives shorter than 20 minutes.[10] The isotopes of californium range in mass number from 237 to 256.[10]

Californium-249 is formed from the beta decay of berkelium-249, and most other californium isotopes are made by subjecting berkelium to intense neutron radiation in a nuclear reactor.[20] Although californium-251 has the longest half-life, its production yield is only 10% due to its tendency to collect neutrons (high neutron capture) and its tendency to interact with other particles (high neutron cross-section).[22]

Californium-252 is a very strong neutron emitter, which makes it extremely radioactive and harmful.[23][24][25] Californium-252 undergoes alpha decay 96.9% of the time to form curium-248 while the remaining 3.1% of decays are spontaneous fission.[10] One microgram (μg) of californium-252 emits 2.3 million neutrons per second, an average of 3.7 neutrons per spontaneous fission.[26] Most of the other isotopes of californium decay to isotopes of curium (atomic number 96) via alpha decay.[10]

Why is californium so expensive?

What is the most expensive element on Earth why is it so expensive? The element was produced from curium and alpha particles, but only a few grams of the element have ever been produced. In today's world, only a half-gram of Californium is produced each year, so that's the reason why the price tag on it is so hig