New Isotope of Berkelium

Abstract

A new isotope of berkelium, ${\mathrm{Bk}}^{248}$, formed by a 25-Mev helium-ion bombardment of a mixture of curium nuclides has been found. Its existence and a half-life of 23±5 hours were determined by periodically separating the ${\beta }^{-}$ decay daughter, ${\mathrm{Cf}}^{248}$, from the mixture of berkelium isotopes isolated after the bombardment.