What is radium?

Radium is the heaviest known alkaline earth metal and is the only radioactive member of its group. Its physical and chemical properties most closely resemble its lighter congener barium. Pure radium is a volatile silvery-white metal, although its lighter congeners calcium, strontium, and barium have a slight yellow tint. read more

Radium has an abundance of about 1 part per trillion in the Earth's crust, according to Chemicool. Trace amounts of radium are found in uranium ore, because radium is created from the decay of the uranium atom, which then into several other unstable elements before finally ending in the element lead. read more

Radium definition, a highly radioactive metallic element whose decay yields radon gas and alpha rays. Symbol: Ra; atomic weight: 226; atomic number: 88. See more. read more