Element Polonium
Element Polonium was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie, when it was extracted from the uranium ore pitchblende and identified solely by its strong radioactivity: it was the first element to be so discovered.
Polonium was named after Marie Curie’s homeland of Poland. Polonium has few applications, and those are related to its radioactivity: heaters in space probes, antistatic devices, sources of neutrons and alpha particles, and poison.
It is a radioactive element, and extremely dangerous to humans.
Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84.
Names and Identifiers
| Chemical Formula: | Po |
| CAS: | 7440-08-6 |
| Molecular Weight: | 209.00000 g/mol |
| EC Number : | n/a |
| MDL Number: | n/a |
| Color: | silvery-gray/ silvery |
| Other Names: | n/a |
| PubChem CID: | 6328143 |
| IUPAC Name: | Polonium |
| Inchl: | InChI=1S/Po |
| InChI Key: | HZEBHPIOVYHPMT-UHFFFAOYSA-N |
| Canonical SMILES: | [Po] |
| ICSC Number: | n/a |
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Phase: | Solid |
| Density: | 9.196 g/cm³ |
| Boiling Point: | 1235 K (962 °C, 1764 °F) |
| Melting Point: | 527 K (254 °C, 489 °F) |
| Molecular Formula: | Po |
| Flash Point: | n/a |
| Exact Mass: | 208.98200 |
Polonium has 42 known isotopes, all of which are radioactive. They have atomic masses that range from 186 to 227 u.
Radiosotope data
| Isotope | Mass/Da | Half-life | Mode of decay | Nuclear spin | Nuclear magnetic moment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 206Po | 205.98047 | 8.8 d | C to 206Bi; α to 202Pb | 0 | |
| 207Po | 206.98158 | 5.80 h | EC to 207Bi; α to 203Pb | 5/2 | 0.79 |
| 208Po | 207.98123 | 2.898 y | EC to 208Bi; α to 204Pb | 0 | |
| 209Po | 208.982404 (5) | 102 y | EC to 209Bi; α to 205Pb | 1/2 | 0.77 |
| 210Po | 209.98286 | 138.38 d | α to 206Pb | 0 |