polonium
Radioactive, metallic element, atomic number 84, relative atomic mass 210. Polonium occurs in nature in small amounts and was isolated from pitchblende. It is the element having the largest number of isotopes (27) and is 5,000 times as radioactive as radium, liberating considerable amounts of heat. It was the first element to have its radioactive properties recognized and investigated.
Polonium was isolated in 1898 from the pitchblende residues analysed by French scientists Pierre and Marie Curie, and named after Marie Curie's native Poland.
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|
?Sign in  |
|---|