Symbol

Bk

Atomic Number

97

Atomic Mass

247.0703

Family

Actinide Transuranium Element Pronunciation

BER-klee-um

Overview

In the period between 1940 and 1961, eleven transuranium elements were discovered by researchers from the University of California at Berkeley (UCB). The term transuranium element refers to elements beyond uranium (atomic numbers greater than 92) in the periodic table. The periodic table is a chart that shows how chemical elements are related to each other. All transuranium elements are unstable or radioactive. Radioactive elements throw off energy or particles as they decay into more stable atoms. One of these elements was berkelium.

Discovery and Naming

In 1949, element number 97 was produced in a particle accelerator on the UCB campus. A particle accelerator is sometimes called an atom smasher. It is used to speed up very small particles and atoms, which then collide with atoms of such elements as gold, copper, or tin. These atoms are called targets. When...