Isotopes of californium

Actinides Half-life Fission products
244Cm 241Pu f 250Cf 243Cmf 10–30 y 137Cs 90Sr 85Kr
232 f 238Pu f is for
fissile
69–90 y 151Sm nc➔
4n 249Cf  f 242Amf 141–351 No fission product
has half-life 102
to 2×105 years
241Am 251Cf  f 431–898
240Pu 229Th 246Cm 243Am 5–7 ky
4n 245Cmf 250Cm 239Pu f 8–24 ky
233U    f 230Th 231Pa 32–160
4n+1 234U 4n+3 211–290 99Tc 126Sn 79Se
248Cm 242Pu 340–373 Long-lived fission products
237Np 4n+2 1–2 My 93Zr 135Cs nc➔
236U 4n+1 247Cmf 6–23 My 107Pd 129I
244Pu 80 My >7% >5% >1% >.1%
232Th 238U 235U    f 0.7–12 Gy fission product yield

Californium (Cf) is an artificial element, and thus a standard atomic mass cannot be given. Like all artificial elements, it has no stable isotopes. The first isotope to be synthesized was 245Cf in 1950. There are 20 known radioisotopes ranging from 237Cf to 256Cf and one nuclear isomer, 249mCf. The longest-lived isotope is 251Cf with a half-life of 900 years.

Contents

Californium-252

Fission neutrons of californium-252 have an energy range of 0 to 13 MeV with a mean value of 2.3 MeV and a most probable value of 1 MeV.[1]

Table

nuclide
symbol
Z(p) N(n)  
isotopic mass (u)
 
half-life decay
mode(s)[2][n 1]
daughter
isotope(s)
nuclear
spin
excitation energy
237Cf 98 139 237.06207(54)# 2.1(3) s SF (various) 5/2+#
β+ 237Bk
α 233Cm
238Cf 98 140 238.06141(43)# 21.1(13) ms SF (various) 0+
β+ (rare) 238Bk
α (rare) 234Cm
239Cf 98 141 239.06242(23)# 60(30) s
[39(+37-12) s]
α 235Cm 5/2+#
β+ (rare) 239Bk
240Cf 98 142 240.06230(22)# 1.06(15) min α (98%) 236Cm 0+
SF (2%) (various)
β+ (rare) 240Bk
241Cf 98 143 241.06373(27)# 3.78(70) min β+ (75%) 241Bk 7/2-#
α (25%) 237Cm
242Cf 98 144 242.06370(4) 3.49(15) min α (80%) 238Cm 0+
β+ (20%) 242Bk
SF (.014%) (various)
243Cf 98 145 243.06543(15)# 10.7(5) min β+ (86%) 243Bk (1/2+)
α (14%) 239Cm
244Cf 98 146 244.066001(3) 19.4(6) min α (99%) 240Cm 0+
EC (1%) 244Bk
245Cf 98 147 245.068049(3) 45.0(15) min β+ (64%) 245Bk (5/2+)
α (36%) 241Cm
246Cf 98 148 246.0688053(22) 35.7(5) h α 242Cm 0+
EC (5×10−4%) 246Bk
SF (2×10−4%) (various)
247Cf 98 149 247.071001(9) 3.11(3) h EC (99.96%) 247Bk (7/2+)#
α (.04%) 243Cm
248Cf 98 150 248.072185(6) 333.5(28) d α (99.99%) 244Cm 0+
SF (.0029%) (various)
249Cf 98 151 249.0748535(24) 351(2) a α 245Cm 9/2-
SF (5×10−7%) (various)
249mCf 144.98(5) keV 45(5) µs 5/2+
250Cf 98 152 250.0764061(22) 13.08(9) a α (99.92%) 246Cm 0+
SF (.077%) (various)
251Cf[n 2] 98 153 251.079587(5) 900(40) a α 247Cm 1/2+
252Cf[n 3] 98 154 252.081626(5) 2.645(8) a α (96.9%) 248Cm 0+
SF (3.09%)[n 4] (various)
253Cf 98 155 253.085133(7) 17.81(8) d β- (99.69%) 253Es (7/2+)
α (.31%) 249Cm
254Cf 98 156 254.087323(13) 60.5(2) d SF (99.69%) (various) 0+
α (.31%) 250Cm
β-β- (rare) 254Fm
255Cf 98 157 255.09105(22)# 85(18) min β- (99.99%) 255Es (7/2+)
SF (.001%) (various)
α (10−5%) 251Cm
256Cf 98 158 256.09344(32)# 12.3(12) min SF (99%) (various) 0+
β- (1%) 256Es
α (10−6%) 252Cm
β-β- (rare) 256Fm
  1. ^ Abbreviations:
    EC: Electron capture
    SF: Spontaneous fission
  2. ^ High neutron cross-section, tends to absorb neutrons
  3. ^ Most common isotope
  4. ^ High neutron emitter, average 3.7 neutrons per fission

Notes

References

  1. ^ Dicello, J. F.; Gross, W.; Kraljevic, U. (1972). "Radiation Quality of Californium-252". Physics in Medicine and Biology 17 (3): 345. Bibcode 1972PMB....17..345D. doi:10.1088/0031-9155/17/3/301. 
  2. ^ http://www.nucleonica.net/unc.aspx
Isotopes of berkelium Isotopes of californium Isotopes of einsteinium
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