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1. Litvinenko Poisoning
2. Polonium Atomic Number
3. Polonium-209 Atomic Number
4. Polonium 218 Atomic Number
5. Atomic Number Of Polonium
6. Polonium Atomic Number And Symbol

POLONIUM (Po)

Who discovered Polonium?

Polonium (atomic number 84, symbol Po) is a radioactive element and a very rare semi-metal. The element has 33 radioactive isotopes, including polonium-208 and polonium-210. It is a scarce element that is produced in nuclear reactors. Neurons are used to bombard bismuth-209, and bismuth-210 is formed as a result. Twenty five isotopes of polonium are known, with atomic masses ranging from 194 to 218. Polonium-210 is the most readily available. Isotopes of mass 209 (half-life 103 years) and mass 208 (half-life 2.9 years) can be prepared by alpha, proton, or deuteron bombardment of lead or bismuth in a cyclotron, but these are expensive to produce.

Polonium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie while she was working in France. Polonium was the first element discovered by Curie and it was named after her birthplace, Poland.

Why was Polonium discovered?

Curie was attempting to to explain why pitchblende (a form of the mineral uraninite) from Joachimsthal, Bohemia was radioactive. Polonium was the cause, and it took several tons of pitchblende to yield very small amounts (10^-6g per ton of ore).

How is Polonium obtained?

Small amounts can be found naturally in pitchblende, but it can also be produced through the nuclear irradiation of ²⁰⁹bismouth to obtain a product of ²¹⁰polonium.

²⁰⁹Bi + ¹n ----> ²¹⁰Po + e^-

^{How is Polonium used?}

^{-- it is combined with beryllium to act as a neutron source}

^{--used as an antistatic agent in textile mills}

^{--on brushes to remove dust from film}

^{--in nuclear batteries that provide thermoelectric power for space satellites}

^{Interesting Polonium Facts...}

^{--Gram for gram polonium is 2.5 x 1011 times as toxic as hydrocyanic acid.}

^{--Polonium is found in tobacco.}

^{--One mg of polonium-210 emits as much alpha radiation as 5 grams of radium, and gamma radiation causes a blue glow around it.}

^{Polonium Data}

^{Atomic Number: 84Atomic Mass:209} Oxidation States: 4, 2

^{Electron Configuration:}

^{1s2 2s2p6 3s2p6d10 4s2p6d10f14 5s2p6d10 6s2p4}

^{Electronegativity value:2}

^{Isotopes: There are no naturally occurring isotopes of polonuium-209, but polonium-190 through polonium- 218 are possible to produce synthetically in laboratories (polonium-209 is naturally occurring). These 34 isotopes (polonium has the largest number of isotopes out of all the elements) are all radioactive. The most commonly used isotope is polonium-210.}

Appearance:

Litvinenko Poisoning

Color: Silver, gives off a blue glow State: Solid at STP

Polonium Atomic Number

Physical Properties:

Melting Point: 527 K Boiling Point: 1235 K

Polonium-209 Atomic Number

Crystal Structure: Cubic Density: 9.33g/cm @ 300 K

Polonium 218 Atomic Number

The Cubic Crystalline Structure

Cost of Polonium: $3195/uCi at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Atomic Number Of Polonium

References

Polonium Atomic Number And Symbol