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Californium Curium Comparison


Curium Californium comparison


Periodic Table

Symbol
Cf   
Cm   

Group Number
Not Available   
Not Available   

Period Number
7   
7   

Block
f block   
f block   

Element Family
Actinide   
Actinide   

CAS Number
7440713   
20
7440519   
36

Space Group Name
P63/mmc   
Not Available   

Space Group Number
194.00   
5
Not Available   

Facts

Interesting Facts
  • Californium metal is very harmful and highly radioactive.
  • Californium metal is the heaviest metal.
  
  • Curium metal does not occur free in nature.
  • Curium metal is a synthetically produced metal.
  

Sources
Made by Bombarding Curium with Helium Ions   
Bombarding Plutonium with Helium Ions   

History
  
  

Who Discovered
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory   
Glenn T. Seaborg, Ralph A. James, Albert Ghiorso   

Discovery
In 1950   
In 1944   

Abundance
  
  

Uses

Uses & Benefits
  • Californium metal has a very strong neutron emitter. It is used as a metal detector.
  • It also used as an identifier to check Water and oil layers in oil wells.
  
  • Curium metal is used to provide power to electrical equipment for space missions.
  

Industrial Uses
Chemical Industry   
NA   

Medical Uses
NA   
NA   

Other Uses
Alloys, Nuclear Research   
Research Purposes   

Biological Properties
  
  

Toxicity
Toxic   
Unknown   

Present in Human Body
No   
No   

In Blood
0.00 Blood/mg dm-3   
37
0.00 Blood/mg dm-3   
37

In Bone
0.00 p.p.m.   
36
0.00 p.p.m.   
36

Physical Properties

Melting Point
900.00 °C   
99+
1,340.00 °C   
34

Boiling Point
1,470.00 °C   
99+
3,110.00 °C   
30

Appearance
  
  

Physical State
Solid   
Solid   

Color
Silver   
Silver   

Luster
NA   
Metallic   

Hardness
  
  

Mohs Hardness
3.00   
12
Not Available   

Speed of Sound
Not Available   
Not Available   

Optical Properties
  
  

Allotropes
No   
No   

α Allotropes
Not Available   
Not Available   

β Allotropes
Not Available   
Not Available   

γ Allotropes
Not Available   
Not Available   

Chemical Properties

Chemical Formula
Cf   
Cm   

Isotopes
  
  

Known Isotopes
20   
19
15   
24

Electronegativity
  
  

Pauling Electronegativity
1.30   
32
1.30   
32

Allred Rochow Electronegativity
1.20   
27
1.20   
27

Electropositivity
  
  

Pauling Electropositivity
2.70   
22
2.70   
22

Ionization Energies
  
  

1st Energy Level
608.00 kJ/mol   
99+
581.00 kJ/mol   
99+

2nd Energy Level
1,206.00 kJ/mol   
99+
1,196.00 kJ/mol   
99+

3rd Energy Level
2,267.00 kJ/mol   
99+
2,026.00 kJ/mol   
99+

4th Energy Level
3,599.00 kJ/mol   
99+
3,550.00 kJ/mol   
99+

Electrochemical Equivalent
3.12 g/amp-hr   
15
3.07 g/amp-hr   
16

Electron Work Function
Not Available   
Not Available   

Other Chemical Properties
Corrosion, Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes, Radioactivity, Solubility   
Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes   

Atomic Properties

Atomic Number
98   
20
96   
22

Electron Configuration
[Rn] 5f10 7s2   
[Rn] 5f7 6d1 7s2   

Crystal Structure
Double Hexagonal Close Packed (DHCP)   
Double Hexagonal Close Packed (DHCP)   

Crystal Lattice
DHCP-Crystal-Structure-of-Californium.jpg#100   
DHCP-Crystal-Structure-of-Curium.jpg#100   

Atom
  
  

Number of Protons
98   
20
96   
22

Number of Neutrons
153   
9
151   
10

Number of Electrons
98   
20
96   
22

Radius of an Atom
  
  

Atomic Radius
186.00 pm   
9
174.00 pm   
20

Covalent Radius
Not Available   
169.00 pm   
26

Van der Waals Radius
Not Available   
200.00 pm   
28

Atomic Weight
251.00 amu   
17
247.00 amu   
18

Atomic Volume
Not Available   
18.28 cm3/mol   
26

Adjacent Atomic Numbers
  
  

Previous Element
Berkelium
  
Americium
  

Next Element
Berkelium
  

Valence Electron Potential
44.50 (-eV)   
38
44.50 (-eV)   
38

Lattice Constant
338.00 pm   
99+
Not Available   

Lattice Angles
π/2, π/2, 2 π/3   
NA   

Lattice C/A Ratio
Not Available   
Not Available   

Mechanical Properties

Density
  
  

Density At Room Temperature
15.10 g/cm3   
21
13.51 g/cm3   
25

Density When Liquid (at m.p.)
Not Available   
13.85 g/cm3   
10

Tensile Strength
Not Available   
Not Available   

Viscosity
Not Available   
Not Available   

Vapor Pressure
  
  

Elasticity properties
  
  

Poisson Ratio
Not Available   
Not Available   

Other Mechanical Properties
Malleable, Sectile   
Unknown   

Magnetic Properties

Magnetic Characteristics
  
  

Specific Gravity
15.10   
13
13.51   
17

Magnetic Ordering
Paramagnetic   
Antiferromagnetic   

Electrical Properties
  
  

Resistivity
Not Available   
1.25 nΩ·m   
99+

Thermal Properties

Specific Heat
Not Available   
Not Available   

Molar Heat Capacity
Not Available   
Not Available   

Thermal Conductivity
Not Available   
Not Available   

Critical Temperature
Not Available   
Not Available   

Thermal Expansion
Not Available   
Not Available   

Enthalpy
  
  

Enthalpy of Fusion
Not Available   
15.00 kJ/mol   
21

Standard Molar Entropy
Not Available   
Not Available   

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