Facts about Radium
Radium is over one million times more radioactive than the same mass of uranium.
Historically, the radioactive decay products of radium were labeled Radium A, B, C, and so forth (see Radioactivity below).
On February 4, 1936, radium E became the first radioactive element to be made synthetically.
Currently, tritium (which also carries some risks) is used instead of radium, as it is considered safer than radium.
In 1902, Marie Curie and Andre Debierne isolated radium in its pure metallic form.
Radium (chemical symbol Ra, atomic number 88) is an extremely radioactive element that is classified as an an alkaline earth metal.
Their method involved electrolysis of a solution of pure radium chloride, using a mercury cathode, and distillation of the product in an atmosphere of hydrogen gas.
Until the 1950s, radium was used in self-luminous paints for watches, clocks, and instrument dials.
Radium is intensely radioactive, emitting three types of radiation: alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays.
More recently, radium is being replaced by other radioisotopes—such as cobalt-60 and cesium-137—when there is a need for radioactive sources that are safer to handle or those that emit more powerful radiation.
Inhalation, injection, ingestion, or body exposure to radium can cause cancer and other body disorders.
At the turn of the twentieth century, radium was a popular additive in products like toothpaste, hair creams, and even food items, based on its assumed curative powers.
The successive main products were called radium emanation (or exradio), radium A, radium B, radium C, and so forth.
Radium is luminescent, giving a faint blue color, and is slightly more volatile than barium.
Of these, radium chloride was the first to be prepared in a pure state, and was the basis of Marie Curie's original separation of radium from barium.
Radium is highly radioactive and its decay product, radon gas, is also radioactive.
Radium (from the Latin word radius, meaning "ray") was discovered by Maria Sk?odowska-Curie and her husband Pierre in 1898.
Stored radium should be properly ventilated, to prevent the accumulation of radon.
Radium is a decay product of uranium and is therefore found in all uranium-bearing ores.
Radium has 25 known isotopes, four of which—Ra-223, Ra-224, Ra-226, and Ra-228—are are found in nature and are generated by the decay of uranium or thorium.
The energy emitted by the radioactive decay of radium ionizes gases, affects photographic plates, causes sores on the skin, and produces many other detrimental effects.
Another remarkable property of radium preparations is that they keep themselves warmer than their surroundings.
Compounds of radium include its oxide (RaO), fluoride (RaF2), chloride (RaCl2), bromide (RaBr2), and iodide (RaI2).
The reason for this problem is that the body treats radium as though it were calcium.
Marie Curie's premature death has been attributed to her extensive work with radium.
During the 1930s, it was found that workers exposed to radium when handling luminescent paints suffered from serious health problems, including sores, anemia, and bone cancer.