Symbol

Cf

Atomic Number

98

Atomic Mass

251.0796

Family

Actinide Transuranium Element Pronunciation

cal-uh-FOR-nee-um

Overview

Californium is a transuranium element, or "beyond uranium" on the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other. Uranium is element number 92 in the periodic table, so elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 are said to be transuranium elements.

Discovery and Naming

Californium was discovered in 1950 by a research team at the University of California at Berkeley. The team, made up of Glenn Seaborg (1912- ), Albert Ghiorso (1915- ), Kenneth Street, Jr., and Stanley G. Thompson (1912- ), named the new element after the state of California.

Californium was first prepared in a particle accelerator, or an "atom smasher." A particle accelerator accelerates subatomic particles or atoms to very high speeds. The particles collide with a target, such as gold, copper, or tin. The target atoms are...