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The first sentence says californium is covalently bound to the borate...borate is a mineral..I have to admit this is far above my pay scale! lol next... As far as the bundle of REE underground. I have asked the question way back, and I was told it is far too expensive - notwithstanding the extra time and costs involved. The stuff is there as we all know, but it's going to have wait on a later date. (I'm paraphrasing but that's roughly what I was told).


Californium polyborate is unusual in that californium is covalently bound to the borate. Californium was expected to resemble lanthanide elements in being highly ionic. The polyborate anion is polarisable and flexible.[2] The 5f, 6d, 7s, and 7p orbitals of californium are all involved on the bonding.[2] Most valence electrons are in the 5f orbital, and a significant fraction (?2/3) in the 6d orbital, and smaller fractions of one electron are in the 7s and 7p orbitals.[1]


MORE RESULTS
What is a borate mineral?
The borate minerals are minerals which contain a borate anion group. The borate (BO3) units may be polymerised similar to the SiO4 unit of the silicate mineral class. ... However, some, such as boracite, are hard and resistant to weathering, more similar to the silicates.