Berkelium’s unexpected chemistry has been captured

The first well-characterized materials containing berkelium differ from expectations

Berkelium is one of the few elements that has yet to be characterized in detail, largely because the only available isotope, ²⁴⁹Bk, has a half-life of only 320 days. Using single crystal x-ray diffraction, researchers at Florida State University structurally characterized a complex containing the actinide-group element berkelium. The characterization reveals unexpected findings, such as a lack of structural similarities between berkelium and its lanthanide analog terbium. Read more.