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Compare Uranium vs Californium

Comparing Uranium (U) and Californium (Cf). Atomic numbers 92 and 98 with atomic masses 238.029 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.

vs
U
Uranium
#92
Cf
Californium
#98

Periodic properties of the elements

UraniumCalifornium
SymbolUCf
Atomic number9298
Group00
Period77
Blockff
Element categoryActinideActinide

Physical properties

UraniumCalifornium
Phase at STPSolidSolid
Density19.1 g/cm315.1 g/cm3
Atomic weight238.029 u251 u
Melting point1405.3 K
1132.15 °C
2069.87 °F		1173 K
899.85 °C
1651.73 °F
Boiling point4404 K
4130.85 °C
7467.53 °F		1743 K
1469.85 °C
2677.73 °F

Atomic properties

UraniumCalifornium
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale)1.381.3
Electron affinity50.94 kJ/mol-97.31 kJ/mol
Oxidation states+1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6
(an amphoteric oxide)		+2, +3, +4, +5
()
Ionization energies
  1. 597.6 kJ/mol
  2. 1420 kJ/mol
  3. 1900 kJ/mol
  4. 3145 kJ/mol
  1. 608 kJ/mol
  2. 1206 kJ/mol
  3. 2267 kJ/mol
  4. 3599 kJ/mol

Electron configuration

UraniumCalifornium
Shorthand configuration[Rn] 5f3 6d1 7s2 [Rn] 5f10 7s2
Full configuration1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f3 6s2 6p6 6d1 7s2 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 4f14 5s2 5p6 5d10 5f10 6s2 6p6 7s2
Electrons per shell2, 8, 18, 32, 21, 9, 22, 8, 18, 32, 28, 8, 2

History

UraniumCalifornium
DiscoveryMartin Heinrich Klaproth (1789)Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1950)
First isolationEugène-Melchior Péligot (1841)
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