Polonium

Polonium is a rare radioactive metalloid. It is chemical element 84 on the periodic table and its symbol is Po. It was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie.

Polonium is highly unstable, radioactive and toxic. This makes it difficult to handle. It can be dangerous, even in very small amounts. One gram of Po will self-heat to a temperature of about 500 °C (932 °F). It also vaporizes easily.

Polonium has 42 isotopes, and all of them are radioactive. It is a very rare element in nature because of its short half-life. It is a breakdown product of uranium, so it is found in uranium ores.

Polonium is also very important because it is the main element of nuclear bombs.

Polonium emits alpha radiation, which cannot pass through the skin and is blocked by a piece of paper.

Properties

Polonium emits alpha radiation, and it has a half-life of 138 days (approximately 4 months). It decays into Lead, A milligram of polonium emits about as many alpha particles per second as 5 grams of Radium, which means it is 5,000 times more radioactive than radium. A few grams of Polonium emit a blue glow which is caused by ionization of the surrounding air. Polonium is 100 billion times more dangerous than hydrogen cyanide.

Polonium has an atomic number of 84, meaning it has 84 protons, which is why it's so unstable, because it's atom is large.

References

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