Compare Plutonium vs Californium
Comparing Plutonium (Pu) and Californium (Cf). Atomic numbers 94 and 98 with atomic masses 244 u and 251 u, classified as actinide and actinide. Below: a side-by-side comparison of their physical, atomic, electron-configuration and historical properties, including density, melting and boiling points, ionization energies, oxidation states and discovery history.
Periodic properties of the elements
| Plutonium | Californium | |
|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Pu | Cf |
| Atomic number | 94 | 98 |
| Group | 0 | 0 |
| Period | 7 | 7 |
| Block | f | f |
| Element category | Actinide | Actinide |
Physical properties
| Plutonium | Californium | |
|---|---|---|
| Phase at STP | Solid | Solid |
| Density | 19.816 g/cm3 | 15.1 g/cm3 |
| Atomic weight | 244 u | 251 u |
| Melting point | 912.5 K 639.35 °C 1182.83 °F | 1173 K 899.85 °C 1651.73 °F |
| Boiling point | 3505 K 3231.85 °C 5849.33 °F | 1743 K 1469.85 °C 2677.73 °F |
Atomic properties
| Plutonium | Californium | |
|---|---|---|
| Electronegativity (Pauling Scale) | 1.28 | 1.3 |
| Electron affinity | -48.33 kJ/mol | -97.31 kJ/mol |
| Oxidation states | +2, +3, +4, +5, +6, +7, +8 (an amphoteric oxide) | +2, +3, +4, +5 () |
| Ionization energies |
|
|
Electron configuration
| Plutonium | Californium | |
|---|---|---|
| Shorthand configuration | [Rn] 5f6 7s2 | [Rn] 5f10 7s2 |
| Full configuration | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f6 6s2 6p6 7s2 | 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f10 6s2 6p6 7s2 |
| Electrons per shell | 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 | 2, 8, 18, 32, 28, 8, 2 |
History
| Plutonium | Californium | |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Glenn T. Seaborg, Arthur Wahl, Joseph W. Kennedy, Edwin McMillan (1940) | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1950) |