Californium
Properties
| Atomic Number | 98 |
| CAS Registry Number | 7440-71-3 |
| Chemical Symbol | Cf |
History
The atomic number is 98 and the chemical symbol is Cf. The name derives from the state and the university of California where the element was first synthesized. Although the earlier members of the actinide series were named in analogy with the names of the corresponding members of the lanthanide series the only connection with the corresponding element dysprosium (Greek for hard to get at) that was offered by the discoverers was that searchers for another element (gold about a century before in 1849) found it difficult to get to California. An American scientific team at the University of California lab in Berkeley California under Glenn T. Seaborg used the nuclear reaction 242Cm( 4He n) 245Cf to first detect the element californium in 1950. The longest half-life associated with this unstable element is 900 year 251Cf.Holden, Norman E., (2004). History of the origin of the chemical elements and their discoverers. National Nuclear Data Center. Retrieved from http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/content/elements.html