Element Facts
SYMBOL
Cf
ATOMIC NO.
98
ATOMIC WEIGHT
251
CATEGORY
Actinide
PERIOD
Period 7
GROUP
Group 3
Background
Californium was synthesised in 1950 by Stanley Thompson, Kenneth Street Jr., Albert Ghiorso, and Glenn Seaborg at Berkeley by bombarding curium-242 with alpha particles. Named after the state of California and the University of California. It came just months after the synthesis of berkelium by the same team, reflecting the rapid pace of transuranic element discovery in the post-war period.
Industrial Uses
Californium-252 is the only synthetic element with major commercial applications. It is a powerful portable neutron source used in: oil and gas well logging (to measure rock composition around bore holes); starting up nuclear reactors; assaying gold and silver ores; neutron activation analysis; and cervical cancer brachytherapy. About 0.5 grams are produced and sold annually, primarily by Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Scrap Viability
Why QuickStop Metals doesn’t buy Californium:
Despite californium’s practical uses, it is a highly radioactive controlled material produced exclusively at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (USA) and JINR Dubna (Russia). Transactions are strictly licensed under nuclear regulations. No civilian scrap market exists.
What It's Worth
Californium-252 is reportedly the most expensive commercially sold material in the world at approximately £21 million per gram. Available only through licensed nuclear facilities to authorised purchasers.