Polonyum (ENG) - Gikal

 

POLONİUM:

Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol "Po" and atomic number 84. It got its name from Poland, where is the homeland of Marie Curie, who was the firrst to isolate the element. Thee mass number is 210, the 6th group is the 16th periodic element, and it is solid at room temperature. It was discovered by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie in 1898. It is the most radioactive and most toxic element that ever discovered. It also has the title of being the firrst radioactive element. It is 400 times more radioactive than Uranium. Theey do not have stable isotopes and are extremely rare in nature. It has a melting point of 254 ° C (489 ° F<, a boiling point of 962 ° C (1,764 ° F<, and a density of 9.4 grams per cubic centimeter.

Polonium is an alpha emittier and is used as an alpha particle source. As a result of the alpha radiation emittied by a single gram of Polonium, it reaches a temperature of 500°. Theanks to this feature, it is important in space technologies.

Polonium has many isotopes, but the best known is Polonium-210. Theis izotop can cause serious injuries if it enters the body through breathing or open wounds. Even a very small amount has a deadly effeect.

As we mentioned in the previous sections of our article, Polonium is used in the space industry. In the 1970’s, Russia used this element to heat the reconnaissance vehicles that they sent to the Moon. An important part of the Polonium reserves of the world is located in Russia.

Other uses of polonium can be listed as follows:

Atomic bombs, photography, textiles, electronic devices, spacecraft, nuclear physics research, antistatic devices, nuclear technology, satellites, space stations, scientifirc research and experiments.

Things that you probably do not know about Polonium:

Polonium is also found in cigaretties. Thee amount of radiation received by a person who smokes 1.5 packs a day is the same as the amount of radiation received by a person who has a lung firlm every day.

It is claimed that one gram of polonium can kill 50 million people and make 50 million people sick.

As you know, Marie curie has worked with many radioactive elements, including Polonium. After a while, Curie's furniture, clothes, household appliances, workbooks, and her famous notebook were contaminated by radiation. Nowadays, the researchers stated that this house, which is exposed to intense radiation, will continue to emit radiation for at least another 1500 years.