Science Education Home Home Teachers Students Games Videos VA SOL Programs

It's Elemental

The Element Lawrencium

[Click for Isotope Data]

Lawrencium

103 Lr Lawrencium 262

Atomic Number: 103

Atomic Weight: 262

Melting Point: 1900 K (1627°C or 2961°F)

Boiling Point: Unknown

Density: Unknown

Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

Element Classification: Metal

Period Number: 7

Group Number: 3

Group Name: Actinide

Special Notes: Radioactive and Artificially Produced

What's in a name? Named after the scientist Ernest O. Lawrence.

Say what? Lawrencium is pronounced as lor-ENS-ee-em.

History and Uses:

Lawrencium was created by four American scientists, Albert Ghiorso, Torbjørn Sikkeland, Almon E. Larsh and Robert M. Latimer, in March, 1961. Working at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California, the scientists placed three micrograms (0.000003 grams) of californium in the target chamber of a device called a linear accelerator. The scientists used the accelerator to bombard the californium with boron ions. Several different isotopes of lawrencium were created and there is some confusion as to which isotope the group actually detected. Today, the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory is known as the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

Lawrencium's most stable isotope, lawrencium-262, has a half-life of about 4 hours. It decays into nobelium-262 through electron capture, mendelevium-258 through alpha decay or through spontaneous fission.

Since only tiny amounts of lawrencium have ever been produced, there are currently no uses for it outside of basic scientific research.

Estimated Crustal Abundance: Not Applicable

Estimated Oceanic Abundance: Not Applicable

Number of Stable Isotopes: 0 (View all isotope data)

Ionization Energy: Unknown

Oxidation States: +3

Electron Shell Configuration:

1s2

2s2   2p6

3s2   3p6   3d10

4s2   4p6   4d10   4f14

5s2   5p6   5d10   5f14

6s2   6p6   6d1

7s2

Citation and linking information

For questions about this page, please contact Carol McKisson.