Found in rocks, needs to be locked, very rare, better take care. Polonium.

 

History
Polonium is the first element that Marie Curie discovered. She was a polish chemist and had won the Nobel Prize in 1903. It was discovered in 1968 while she was seeking the cause of Pitchblende Ore. After discovered it was named after Marie Curies native country, Polonium.  It is also called Radium F because Radium was another element that was discovered at the same time. It is formed after the decay of radioactive uranium and thorium. Polonium is very rare; you can only find 100 microgram in one metric ton of Pitchblende.

Properties

Polonium-210 is one of the common isotope of Polonium, and it is very dangerous even just a very little amount, it is about one billion times as toxic as Hydrocyanic Acid. It has a Melting Point of 254C and a Boiling Point of 926C. Its color is gray-blue and it is a radioactive metal, which dissolve in acids.

Marie Curie

Mme. Curie was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw. She went to a local school where her father teaches when she was little. Later, she went to Paris where she got her licentiateship in Physics and Mathematic Science in 1891. It also is where she met her husband Pierre Curie, who is a professor in Physic. She soon took his place and became the Professor of General Physic she was also the first woman to take this position. In 1903 she and her husband both got the half Nobel Prize in Physic, for the study into radiation. She got her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Uses

Because Polonium is very rare it has little use too. It is used for Thermoelectric Power in space satellites because it gives up its energy. It is also used to remove static electrical charged industrial operation. Also, when you use polonium and mix or alloy with Beryllium to form source of Neutrons. Last, it is used on the brush to remove dust on Photographic films.

Isotopes and Half-Life

Isotopes are when an atom of a same element has the same number of Proton but have different number of neutron.
Half Life is the amount of time that takes half of the atom to decay. Some elements have a very long period of time like Polonium, but some of the elements are very quickly.
Polonium-210 is the most common isotope of Polonium and has 126 neutrons and a half-life of 138.7 days.

Health Effect

Polonium is extremely dangerous and toxic as I mentioned before. When polonium break it gives off alpha particle. Today, there were Polonium found in tobacco cigarette and the amount of polonium taken by a smoker is the same amount obtained by any other sources. If polonium gets in your body, it destroys your body cells and can cause bad damages.
Table
Atomic Number Number 84  
Location Group 16  
Symbol PO  
Atomic weight 209  
Common Isotope Po-202  

 

Radium is found at the same time as Polonium by Marie Curie

To find out more about it, click here

 
Glossary

Melting Point

Boiling point

Radioactivity

Isotope

Half Life

Ore

 

The temperature at which a substance changes from solid to a liquid.

The temperature at which a substance changes from liquid to gas.

The ability of a substance to a spontaneously emit radiation.

An atom of the same element that has same number proton but different number of neutron.

The amount of time that takes half of the atom to decay.

A natural occurring mineral captaining a valuable constituent. 

 
Bibliography

Frank, David V. Physical Science. Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008. Gagnon, Steve.

"The Element Polonium." The elemetn polonium. 5 Feb. 2009<http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele084.html>.

"Isotope." Isotope. 08 Feb. 2009 <http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/isotopes/index.html>.

Newton, David E. A guide to the element. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. "Polonium."

Polonium. 15 Dec. 2003. 02 Feb. 2009 <http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/84.html>.

Stwertka, Albert. Chemical Element. 2nd ed. Vol. 1.



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