Element Nr. 88

Radium

alkaline earth solid Entdeckt 1898

226 Atomgewicht (u)

700 °C Schmelzpunkt

1737 °C Siedepunkt

5.5 g/cm3 Dichte

0.9 Elektronegativität

[Rn] 7s2 Elektronenkonfiguration

7 Periode

2 Gruppe

📖 Über Radium

Discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898 from pitchblende ore. Radium glows faintly blue-green due to its intense radioactivity exciting air molecules. Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia caused by decades of radiation exposure. Radium was once used in glow-in-the-dark watch paint until workers (the Radium Girls) began dying of radiation-induced cancers.

🔧 Verwendungen und Anwendungen

Historical: luminous paint for watch dials (now banned)
Historical: cancer treatment (now replaced by better options)
Neutron sources (radium-beryllium mixtures)
Geological age dating

💡 Wusstest du?

Fakt: Marie Curie's notebooks, personal belongings, and even her cookbook are still so radioactive they must be stored in lead-lined boxes at the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. Researchers who wish to view them must sign a waiver acknowledging the radiation risk.