Berkelium (Bk)

Berkelium is a synthetic, radioactive chemical element with the symbol Bk and atomic number 97, belonging to the actinide series (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2024). It was first synthesized in 1949 at the University of California, Berkeley, by bombarding americium-241 with alpha particles (Los Alamos National Laboratory, 2024). Berkelium has no known biological function and is not considered a therapeutic target in any medical context (Wikipedia, 2024). Instead, it is primarily used in basic scientific research, specifically as a target material for the synthesis of even heavier transuranic elements like tennessine (PubChem, 2024). Because of its intense radioactivity, berkelium is highly toxic and can accumulate in the skeletal system if ingested or inhaled, posing a severe health hazard (Lenntech, 2024). There are currently no drugs that interact with berkelium as a target, nor are there any clinical applications for this element in human medicine.

Other names

Element 97

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