Einsteinium (Es)

Atomic Number99
Atomic Mass252 u
CategoryActinide
Electron Config[Rn] 5f¹¹ 7s²
Appearancesilver-colored
Melting Point1133 K
Boiling Point1269 K
Electronegativity1.3 (Pauling)
Ionization Energy619 kJ/mol
Crystal StructureFace-centered Cubic (predicted)
Discovered ByLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1952)

Brief Introduction

Einsteinium (Es) is a silvery, radioactive actinide metal. It is extremely rare and difficult to study. Key details about Einsteinium (Es) are as follows:

Uses: No practical applications. Used only in scientific research to study the properties of heavy elements and to produce heavier elements.

Production/Extraction: Produced by bombarding plutonium or californium with neutrons in nuclear reactors. Only produced in microgram quantities. Extremely difficult to isolate.

History: Discovered in 1952 in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb test (Ivy Mike) by Albert Ghiorso and colleagues. Named after Albert Einstein.

Health Effects & Safety: Highly radioactive. Limited data on specific toxicity due to extreme rarity, but assumed to be highly dangerous. Requires strict containment.

Price/Market: Not commercially available. Produced only for research in specialized facilities.

Properties: Radioactive, silvery metallic appearance (predicted), most common isotope Es-253 has half-life of 20.5 days, melting point around 860°C.

← Californium (Cf) · Fermium (Fm) →

Periodic Table