Polonium

By: Jared Poist

Discovery

• Founded by Marie Curie (in Paris, France) back in 1898

• At the time she was trying to determine the cause of radioactivity in pitchblende

• Element was named after Poland

Properties

• Orientation: silvery, grey metal• Melting point: 527 K (489.2° F)• Boiling point: 1235 K (1763.6° F)• Atomic number: 84• Atomic mass: 209

Where Can It Be Found?

• Polonium mainly occurs in uranium • 100 micrograms of polonium for every ton of

uranium• Polonium has also been spotted in tobacco

smoke

Uses

• Alpha radiation• Heat source for space crafts• Creates neutrons when mixed with beryllium• Can remove static charge from textiles and

dust from photographic film

Works Cited

• A Visual Interpretation of the Table ofElements. Dr. John Emsley, 2005. CambridgeUniversity. 3 Sept. 2008<http://www.rsc.org/chemsoc/>.

• “Polonium.” The Chemistry Encyclopedia. 2007. Chemistry Daily. Sept. 3 2008.<http://www.chemistrydaily.com/chemistry/

Polonium>.