Is Californium a Metal, Nonmetal or Metalloid?
Californium (Cf) is a metal (an actinide) — an actinide — a radioactive f-block metal of period 7. It sits in the f-block, period 7, and is a solid at room temperature.
Teachers call it "one fact, fully handled" — exactly what this page does for Californium. The answer sits at the top in bold; scroll for the working, the shell-by-shell breakdown and the two questions students ask most. Need the whole picture instead — history, characteristics, uses, exam questions? The full Californium page is one click away.
The one-line answer, with reasons
Californium is a metal (an actinide). Chemists decide by behaviour, not appearance: metals (like Californium) give up electrons, shine when freshly cut, and conduct heat and electricity; nonmetals take or share electrons and (as solids) break rather than bend. Californium checks every metal box — placed in the actinide family of the table.
Californium's metal/nonmetal report card
| Property | Value | Typical of |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Actinide | — |
| Phase at room temp | solid | metals are usually solid |
| Block | f-block | — |
| Group | f-block | — |
| Period | 7 | — |
The family it belongs to
The whole actinide family shares one seating area of the table, and every member's family ID card is one click away — compare Californium with its upstairs or downstairs neighbour and the family pattern jumps out.
Students also ask
Is Californium a good conductor of electricity?
Yes — like other metals, Californium conducts electricity and heat well, thanks to its sea of free electrons.
Can a gas be a metal — like Californium?
Yes — being a metal or nonmetal is about bonding and electron behaviour, not state. At room temperature Californium is a solid, and that says nothing against its metallic character.