berkelium

American  

[ber-kee-lee-uhm] / bərˈki li əm /

noun

Chemistry.

1. a transuranic element. Bk; 97; 249 (?).

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berkelium British  

/ bɜːˈkiːlɪəm, ˈbɜːklɪəm /

noun

1. a metallic transuranic element produced by bombardment of americium. Symbol: Bk; atomic no: 97; half-life of most stable isotope, ²⁴⁷ Bk: 1400 years; valency: 3 or 4; relative density: 14 (est)

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berkelium Scientific  

/ bər-kē′lē-əm,bûrk′lē-əm /

1. A synthetic, radioactive metallic element of the actinide series that is produced from americium, curium, or plutonium. Its most stable isotope has a half-life of about 1,400 years. Atomic number 97; melting point 986°C; valence 3, 4.

2. See Periodic Table

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Etymology

Origin of berkelium

1945–50; named after Berkeley, California, where it was discovered; -ium

Example Sentences

Naturally there are berkelium, dubnium and darmstadtium, as well as livermorium - named after the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that, among other things, ensures that the US nuclear stockpile does not decay too quickly.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2014