Berkelium is element number 97, with the symbol Bk. Its name comes from Berkeley, the home of the University of California.
Atomic number 97(247)
BkBerkeliumバークリウム (bākuriumu)
Symbol
Bk
Atomic weight
(247)
Place in the table
Period 7 · Actinoids
The number in parentheses is not an atomic weight. It is the mass number of one radioactive isotope of the element.
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
A university town
Berkelium was discovered in 1949 and named after Berkeley, where the University of California is. Directly above it, terbium is named after the Swedish village Ytterby. Both are named after towns or villages.
Where it sits on the table
The fifteen elements from actinium to lawrencium are called the actinoids. On the Room of the Elements table they are in the lower of the two rows set apart at the bottom.
Think about it
Q1Why do you think an element was named after a university town?
Q2Collect the elements named after towns and villages.
Q3Did you notice that terbium and berkelium end alike?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Berkelium in 1949 and californium in 1950: elements named after American places came one after another.