Francium is a chemical element with symbol Fr and atomic number 87. It used to be known as eka-caesium and actinium K. It is the second-least electronegative element, behind only caesium. Francium is a highly radioactive metal that decays into astatine, radium, and radon.
It belongs to group 1 of the periodic table having trivial name alkali metals*.
Francium Facts
Read key information and facts about element Francium
Name | Francium |
Atomic Number | 87 |
Atomic Symbol | Fr |
Atomic Weight | 223 |
Phase | Solid |
Color | Silver |
Appearance | - |
Classification | Alkali Metal |
Group in Periodic Table | 1 |
Group Name | lithium family |
Period in Periodic Table | period 7 |
Block in Periodic Table | s -block |
Electronic Configuration | [Rn] 7s1 |
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 1 |
Melting Point | 281 K |
Boiling Point | - |
CAS Number | CAS7440-73-5 |
How to Locate Francium on Periodic Table
Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 87 to find Francium on periodic table.
Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Francium on periodic table look for cross section of group 1 and period 7 in the modern periodic table.
Francium History
The element Francium was discovered by M. Perey in year 1939 in France. Francium was first isolated by in . Francium derived its name from Francia, the New Latin name for France.
Perey discovered it as a decay product of 227Ac. Francium was the last element to be discovered in nature, rather than synthesized in the lab, although four of the "synthetic" elements that were discovered later (plutonium, neptunium, astatine, and promethium) were eventually found in trace amounts in nature as well.
Francium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us
The table below shows the abundance of Francium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.
ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %) | ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %) | |
---|---|---|
Abundance in Universe | - | - |
Abundance in Sun | - | - |
Abundance in Meteorites | - | - |
Abundance in Earth's Crust | - | - |
Abundance in Oceans | - | - |
Abundance in Humans | - | - |
Crystal Structure of Francium
The solid state structure of Francium is Body Centered Cubic.
The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.
Unit Cell Parameters
The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)
a | b | c |
---|---|---|
and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).
alpha | beta | gamma |
---|---|---|
The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.
The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.
Space Group Name | - |
Space Group Number | - |
Crystal Structure | Body Centered Cubic |
Number of atoms per unit cell | 2 |

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.
Francium Atomic and Orbital Properties
Francium atoms have 87 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 1] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 2S1/2.
Atomic Number | 87 |
Number of Electrons (with no charge) | 87 |
Number of Protons | 87 |
Mass Number | 223 |
Number of Neutrons | 136 |
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level) | 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 1 |
Electron Configuration | [Rn] 7s1 |
Valence Electrons | 7s1 |
Valence (Valency) | 1 |
Main Oxidation States | 1 |
Oxidation States | 1 |
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) | 2S1/2 |
Bohr Atomic Model of Francium - Electrons per energy level

n | s | p | d | f |
---|
Ground State Electronic Configuration of Francium - neutral Francium atom
Abbreviated electronic configuration of Francium
The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Francium atom is [Rn] 7s1. The portion of Francium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Rn]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 7s1, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.
Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Francium
Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Francium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration
1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 7s1
Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

Atomic Structure of Francium
Francium atomic radius is - , while it's covalent radius is - .
Atomic Radius Calculated | - (0 Å) |
Atomic Radius Empirical | - (0 Å) |
Atomic Volume | - |
Covalent Radius | - |
Van der Waals Radius | 348 pm |
Neutron Cross Section | - |
Neutron Mass Absorption | - |
Atomic Spectrum of Francium
Francium Chemical Properties: Francium Ionization Energies and electron affinity
The electron affinity of Francium is - .
Valence | 1 |
Electronegativity | 0.79 |
ElectronAffinity | - |
Ionization Energy of Francium
Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Francium
Ionization energy number | Enthalpy - kJ/mol |
---|---|
1st | 380 |
Francium Physical Properties
Refer to below table for Francium Physical Properties
Density | - |
Molar Volume | - |
Elastic Properties
Young Modulus | - |
Shear Modulus | - |
Bulk Modulus | - |
Poisson Ratio | - |
Hardness of Francium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element
Mohs Hardness | - |
Vickers Hardness | - |
Brinell Hardness | - |
Francium Electrical Properties
Francium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties ofFrancium
Electrical Conductivity | - |
Resistivity | - |
Superconducting Point | - |
Francium Heat and Conduction Properties
Thermal Conductivity | - |
Thermal Expansion | - |
Francium Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Type | - |
Curie Point | - |
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility | - |
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility | - |
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility | - |
Optical Properties of Francium
Refractive Index | - |
Acoustic Properties of Francium
Speed of Sound | - |
Francium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics
Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Francium
Melting Point | 281 K (7.85°C, 46.13000000000004 °F) |
Boiling Point | - (-273.15°C, -459.66999999999996 °F) |
Critical Temperature | - |
Superconducting Point | - |
Enthalpies of Francium
Heat of Fusion | 2 kJ/mol |
Heat of Vaporization | 65 kJ/mol |
Heat of Combustion | - |
Francium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Francium
Francium has 34 isotopes, with between 199 and 232 nucleons. Francium has 0 stable naturally occuring isotopes.
Isotopes of Francium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: -.
Isotope | Z | N | Isotope Mass | % Abundance | T half | Decay Mode |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
199Fr | 87 | 112 | 199 | Synthetic | ||
200Fr | 87 | 113 | 200 | Synthetic | ||
201Fr | 87 | 114 | 201 | Synthetic | ||
202Fr | 87 | 115 | 202 | Synthetic | ||
203Fr | 87 | 116 | 203 | Synthetic | ||
204Fr | 87 | 117 | 204 | Synthetic | ||
205Fr | 87 | 118 | 205 | Synthetic | ||
206Fr | 87 | 119 | 206 | Synthetic | ||
207Fr | 87 | 120 | 207 | Synthetic | ||
208Fr | 87 | 121 | 208 | Synthetic | ||
209Fr | 87 | 122 | 209 | Synthetic | ||
210Fr | 87 | 123 | 210 | Synthetic | ||
211Fr | 87 | 124 | 211 | Synthetic | ||
212Fr | 87 | 125 | 212 | Synthetic | ||
213Fr | 87 | 126 | 213 | Synthetic | ||
214Fr | 87 | 127 | 214 | Synthetic | ||
215Fr | 87 | 128 | 215 | Synthetic | ||
216Fr | 87 | 129 | 216 | Synthetic | ||
217Fr | 87 | 130 | 217 | Synthetic | ||
218Fr | 87 | 131 | 218 | Synthetic | ||
219Fr | 87 | 132 | 219 | Synthetic | ||
220Fr | 87 | 133 | 220 | Synthetic | ||
221Fr | 87 | 134 | 221 | Synthetic | ||
222Fr | 87 | 135 | 222 | Synthetic | ||
223Fr | 87 | 136 | 223 | Synthetic | 21.7 m | BetaDecay |
224Fr | 87 | 137 | 224 | Synthetic | ||
225Fr | 87 | 138 | 225 | Synthetic | ||
226Fr | 87 | 139 | 226 | Synthetic | ||
227Fr | 87 | 140 | 227 | Synthetic | ||
228Fr | 87 | 141 | 228 | Synthetic | ||
229Fr | 87 | 142 | 229 | Synthetic | ||
230Fr | 87 | 143 | 230 | Synthetic | ||
231Fr | 87 | 144 | 231 | Synthetic | ||
232Fr | 87 | 145 | 232 | Synthetic |
Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines
Database Search
List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases
Database | Identifier number |
---|---|
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) | CAS7440-73-5 |
RTECS Number | - |
CID Number | - |
Gmelin Number | - |
NSC Number | - |
Compare Francium with other elements
Compare Francium with all Group 1 elements
Compare Francium with all Period 7 elements
Compare Francium with all Alkali Metal elements
FAQs
What is the electronic configuration of Francium?
The electronic configuration of Francium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 7s1.
What is the abbreviated electronic configuration of Francium?
The abbreviated electronic configuration of Francium is [Rn] 7s1. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.
What is the symbol of Francium?
Symbol of Francium is Fr. Francium is a chemical element with symbol Fr and atomic number 87.
What is the position of Francium in the Periodic Table?
Francium is a chemical element with the symbol Fr and atomic number 87. Francium is the 87 element on the periodic table. It is located in group 1 and period 7 in the modern periodic table.
What is the atomic number of Francium?
The atomic number of Francium is 87.
What is the color of Francium?
Francium is of Silver color.
Who discovered Francium?
The element Francium was discovered by M. Perey in year 1939 in France. Francium was first isolated by undefined in undefined.
How many valence electrons does a Francium atom have?
Francium has 1 valence electrons. Francium has 87 electrons out of which 1 valence electrons are present in the 7s1 outer orbitals of atom.
What is the melting Point of Francium?
Melting Point of Francium is 281 K.
What is the boiling Point of Francium?
Boiling Point of Francium is null K.
What is the melting Point of Francium in Kelvin?
Melting Point of Francium in Kelvin is 281 K.
What is the boiling Point of Francium in Kelvin?
Boiling Point of Francium in Kelvin is null K.
What is the electronic configuration of Francium 87?
The electronic configuration of Francium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 7s1.
How do you write the electron configuration for Francium?
The electronic configuration of Francium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p6 7s1.