Berkelium is a chemical element whose atomic number is 97, it is symbolized by the acronym Bk and it is number eighteen in the list in the members of the actinide group; This series is very similar in terms of chemical reactions to the group of lanthanides, the small difference between the two is the ionic field, however this is a characteristic that resembles berkelium with terbium.
This chemical compound is not free in the earth's crust because it does not have isotopes that show stability in the environment, therefore to obtain berkelium it must be prepared by means of reactions that involve nuclear energy using elements abundant in the earth; These reactions include charged particle bombardment, thermonuclear device production, or neutron irradiation.
Berkelium is a very chemically reactive metal and has two crystalline forms. It melts at 986 ° F. 9 isotypes have been identified for this element, the atomic mass of which ranges from 240 to 250; It is identified with the name Berkelio in honor of the site where it was first identified, this event was under the hands of scientists Stanley G. Thompson, Albert Ghiorso and Glenn T. Seaborg at the University of California located in the city of Berkeley.
Berkelium, not found naturally in the environment, turns out to be a highly harmful compound for health; All its isotopes are considered radioactive, however the contact of this compound is with highly qualified professionals, so there are few cases of death due to contact with Berkelium. Some damages that this compound produces to health are:
It can trigger genetic damage that can be observed during numerous generations of the same population, direct exposures at low doses can trigger carcinogenic cells after prolonged exposure, one of the reported cases is uterine cancer, damage to the immune system, triggering of spontaneous abortions, deformities, fertility problems. The contact identified as toxic has been by radiation, only through the use of ions with berkelium can any of the aforementioned problems be triggered.
