Element

Nobelium Element Properties and Information

Published August 22, 2022 · Updated August 28, 2022

Nobelium Element Properties and Information

Nobelium is 102^nd element on the periodic table. Elements are arranged in the periodic table on the basis of the atomic number. Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Nobelium has an atomic number of 102. It is located in the Group ‘Actinides’ and Period 7 of the periodic table of elements and denoted by the symbol ‘No’. Nobelium is named after Alfred Nobel, the founder of the Nobel Prize.

George Flerov & team at Institute of Atomic Energy were the first to synthesise Nobelium; they prepared nobelium-252 in the year 1956. The Nobel Institute of Physics prepared nobelium-253 in the year 1957. Albert Ghiorso and team prepared nobelium-254 at Lawrence Berkely Laboratory in the year 1958. Nobelium is a synthetic actinide element. It does not occur naturally in Earth’s crust at all. All the nobelium which is available in the world has been prepared in particle accelerator.

Physical Properties

Nobelium is the penultimate actinide transuranic radioactive metal.
The atomic mass of nobelium is 259.
The predicted melting point of nobelium is 827°C.
The boiling point of nobelium is unknown as of yet.
The density of nobelium is predicted to be around 9900 in S.I. units at 20°C.
Nobelium metal has not been prepared in bulk quantities as of yet.
The properties of nobelium have been predicted on the basis of other lanthanides and actinides.
Nobelium is expected to assume a face-centered cubic structure.

Nearly 13 isotopes of nobelium have been characterised so far.

Chemical Properties

Nobelium’s chemistry is not characterised completely.
Nobelium’s chemistry has been studied only in aqueous solution.
Nobelium compounds which have been studied display oxidation states of +2 and +3; both of them fairly stable unlike other actinides where only the +3 oxidation state is fairly stable.
The complexing ability of nobelium with chloride ions is similar to that of barium.
The chemical properties such as enthalpy, gibbs energy, electrode potential are all theoretically predicted and not all have been confirmed.

Methods of Production

Particle Accelerator: All the elements which have atomic number greater than 100 can only be prepared through reactions in a particle accelerator such as a cyclotron; they are not formed in a nuclear reactor. All the isotopes of nobelium, except for nobelium-262, are produced through the bombardment process of the actinide targets: (uranium, plutonium, curium, californium, and einsteinium). Nobelium-262 is produced as the daughter of lawrencium-262. Nobelium-255 is the most commonly used isotope of nobelium; it is through bombardment of either californium-249 or curium-248 using carbon-12.