| Symbol |
Name |
Atomic
Number |
Atomic
Weight |
Group
Number |
| Ra |
Radium |
88 |
226.0254 |
2 |
Description
Standard State: Solid at 298 K
Color: Metallic
Radium was discovered in 1898 by M. and Mme. Curie in the pitchblende or uraninite of
North Bohemia, where it occurs. There is about 1 g of radium in 7 tons of
pitchblende. The element was isolated in 1911 by Mme. Curie and Debierne by the
electrolysis of a solution of pure radium chloride, employing a mercury cathode; on
distillation in an atmosphere of hydrogen this amalgam yielded the pure metal. Radium is obtained commercially as the bromide or chloride; it is doubtful if any
appreciable stock of the isolated element now exists. The pure metal is brilliant white
when freshly prepared, but blackens on exposure to air, probably due to formation of the
nitride. Radium is a radiological hazard and inhalation, injection, or body exposure
can cause cancer and other body disorders.
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