Editing Californium (section)

=== Hypothetical nuclear weapons ===
{{See also|Nuclear weapon design#Minor actinide fission weapons}}
{{SimpleNuclide|Californium|251|link=yes}} has a very small calculated [[critical mass]] of about {{convert|5|kg|0|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Evaluation of nuclear criticality safety data and limits for actinides in transport |url=http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/transport/doc/irsn_sect03_146.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519171204/http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/transport/doc/irsn_sect03_146.pdf |archive-date=May 19, 2011 |access-date=December 20, 2010 |publisher=Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire |page=16}}</ref> high lethality, and a relatively short period of toxic environmental irradiation. The low critical mass of californium led to some exaggerated claims about possible uses for the element.{{efn|An article entitled "Facts and Fallacies of World War III" in the July 1961 edition of ''[[Popular Science]]'' magazine read "A californium atomic bomb need be no bigger than a pistol bullet. You could build a hand-held six-shooter to fire bullets that would explode on contact with the force of 10 tons of TNT."<ref>{{cite journal|journal=[[Popular Science]]|pages= 92–95, 178–181|date=July 1961|volume=179|issue=1|issn=0161-7370|title=Facts and Fallacies of World War III|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OiEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA180|author1=Mann, Martin}}"force of 10 tons of TNT" on page 180.</ref>}}