nPostednon March 17, 2016
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| I am proud to be a Californian.
A Californian who loves the movie “Clueless”! |
nThenword californication refersnto the spread of Western society’s pop culture all over the world.nUsually meant in a negative way, it blames California for popnculture, because California has been (and still is to some extent)nthe center of the film industry – and movies have been (and stillnare to some extent) an important way in which culture spreads.
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nButntoday is not about californication – it’s about californium.
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nWhichnis a chemical element.
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nThisntime, California gets the credit rather than the blame – becausenscientists in California made the element.
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nLikenother elements with high atomic numbers, californium can bensynthesized by bombarding other elements with alpha particles. Innthis case, it was made at the University of California RadiationnLaboratory, in Berkeley, by bombarding curium with alpha particles.
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nOn this date in 1950, researchers announced the new element to the world.
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nHerenare some of the characteristics of the various forms of californium:
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Onen crystalline forms exists above 900 degrees C (or 1,650 degrees F –n so, VERY hot!), and another crystalline form exists below thatn temperature.n
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nAn third form exists at high pressure.
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nItn slowly tarnishes at room temperature.
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nWen know of twenty different isotopes of californium. Each isotope has an different number of neutrons, and therefore a different weight.
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nThen different isotopes have different lengths of half-life. Half-life isn the measure of time it takes for about half of the atoms in a samplen to decay into other elements. For example, californium-251 has an half-life of 898 years, and californium-253 has a half-life of justn 2 and a half years.
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nBecausen certain isotopes of californium emit neutrons when they decay, thisn chemical element is used to start up some nuclear reactors, to studyn materials with neutron spectroscopy, and in nuclear synthesisn (making new elements).n
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nOfn course, like all other radioactive elements, californium must ben handled carefully; it can be harmful.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nWellderlynDay
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nAnniversarynof Van Gogh’s paintings making a hit
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nAnniversarynof the patent of the rubber band
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nSaintnPatrick’s Daynandnn
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nmorenSaint Patricks Day!
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nAbsolutely Incredible Kid Day
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nPlannahead:
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nPlannahead:
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nApriln holidays
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