Why Does Californium-252 Cost $27 Million Per Gram
The story of the most expensive synthetic element
Ever wondered about the most expensive thing you own? Or the most expensive thing on the planet? or the universe? According to some scientists at CERN, the most expensive stuff on the planet right now is antimatter. And the reason it is so expensive is that it requires an enormous amount of energy to produce. You read that right! Antimatter can be produced. The devil twin of matter particles was first predicted by the brilliant Paul Dirac and his equation is immensely rare so much so that no known trace of antimatter particle is known or found ever since the big bang happened. Experimentalists at the CERN keep trying to produce a trace amount of matter anti-matter pair for less than a fraction of a second in one in a million collisions. The cost of a gram of anti-matter particle is nearly incomprehensible. But this piece isn’t about antimatter though. We’re going to discuss, however, the most expensive synthetic element that is potentially accessible. And that is Californium-252.
Californium-252 is a radioactive isotope of the element Californium that was first synthesized in 1950 at the University of California, Berkeley. It is a synthetic element, which means that it does not occur naturally on Earth and must be produced in a laboratory. It is one of the most expensive materials in the world, valued for its unique properties and important applications.
Position in the Periodic Table
Californium is located immediately following curium (Cm) in the periodic table, with an atomic number of 98. Like other actinide elements, californium is highly radioactive and unstable, with a relatively short half-life of about 2.6 years. The actinide series of elements are all radioactive and have similar chemical properties due to the presence of the same number of electrons in their outermost shell. Cf-252 is classified as a transuranium element, meaning that it has an atomic number greater than that of uranium (92).
Physical and Chemical Properties
Californium-252 is a highly radioactive and reactive element. It has a half-life of just over two years, which means that it decays quickly and must be produced on an ongoing basis to maintain a stable supply. It is a silvery-white metal that is malleable and ductile, meaning that it can be easily shaped and stretched into wires. It is highly radioactive, emitting both alpha and neutron particles, which can be dangerous to human health if not handled properly.
Cf-252 decays primarily by spontaneous fission, releasing an average of 3.7 neutrons per fission event. These neutrons have high energies, typically in the range of 1–10 MeV, making them an effective source for inducing nuclear reactions and producing isotopes for various applications. The neutron emission rate of Cf-252 is very high, typically around 2.3 x 10¹² neutrons per second per microgram of material. This makes it a very efficient neutron source, as only a small amount of Cf-252 is required to produce a large number of neutrons. Due to its high neutron output and relatively short half-life, Cf-252 is considered a high-risk material and is tightly controlled by regulatory agencies. Proper handling and storage procedures must be followed to prevent accidental exposure and contamination.
Production Processes and Cost
Californium-252 is produced by bombarding plutonium-239 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. The resulting californium-252 isotope is then separated from other materials and purified, which is a time-consuming and costly process. The production process requires specialized equipment and expertise, and the demand for Californium-252 is relatively low compared to other materials, which also contributes to its high cost.
The cost of producing Californium-252 is estimated to be up to $27 million per gram, making it one of the most expensive materials in the world. The high cost is due to several factors, including the complexity of the production process, the short half-life of the element, and the relatively low demand for the material.
Why bother to produce?
Despite its high cost, Californium-252 is valued for its unique properties and important applications. It is highly radioactive, emitting both alpha and neutron particles, which makes it useful in a variety of applications where a strong neutron source is needed. For example, it is used in cancer treatment to help destroy cancer cells, and in oil exploration to detect and measure oil deposits deep underground. It can also be used in nuclear reactors to help control the rate of nuclear fission and in the production of other synthetic elements.
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