Californium
Californio (Cf, Z=98)
- Date
- 1950 · confidence high
- Place
- Berkeley, California, United States
- Credited to
- Stanley Thompson, Kenneth Street, Albert Ghiorso and Glenn Seaborg
- People
- 👤 Albert Ghiorso1915–2010👤 Glenn T. Seaborg1912–1999👤 Kenneth Street Jr.1920–2006👤 Stanley Gerald Thompson1912–1976
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Obtained by bombarding micrograms of curium-242 with alpha particles; only a few thousand atoms were produced.
One of the few transuranium elements with practical applications.
What it led to
- Portable neutron sources (Cf-252) for prospecting and reactor start-up
- Target for synthesising oganesson
- Neutron activation analysis
Built on
- Curium1944
- 60-inch cyclotron
Made possible
- Lawrencium1961
- Oganesson2002
- Cf-252 neutron source
- Synthesis of oganesson