Berkelium complex opens door for future nuclear recycling

A new berkelium complex has shown that highly polarised ligands can be used to target heavier actinides, potentially paving the way for selective recycling of radioactive elements.

Since its discovery in December 1949, berkelium, element 97, has remained largely unexplored. The actinide element has no known applications, does not exist on Earth naturally and is expensive to synthesise, meaning only milligrams of the element are available globally. It is also highly radioactive, with its most common isotope, Bk-249, having a half-life of 330 days and decaying into californium, which causes a build-up of electric charge in samples. This, and previous research suggesting berkelium’s bonds are primarily ionic and similar to lanthanides, means it is usually overlooked in favour of more readily available elements.