0
Polonium was discovered by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie in 1898.
Radium was discovered by Marie Curie, Pierre Curie and G. Bemont also in 1898.
They are two natural elements, metals, extremely radioactive.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoPolonium is more harmful, because the most common isotope of Polonium has a half-life of 138 days. while the most common isotope of Radium, while still highly radioactive, has a half-life of 1,602 years. Both Polonium and Radium are naturally occurring and were both first discovered by Madame Curie in 1898 while trying to understand the radioactive properties of pitchblend. Radium is about 500 times as abundant on earth than Polonium. Radium was the probable cause of Marie Curie's early death from aplastic anemia on July 4th 1934, after many years of handling the substance without realising the very harmful effects of radiation. Polonium was famously the cause of death of the former Russian spy (an ex-KGB colonel) Alexander Litvinenko, who drunk tea that had been secretly poisoned with the substance in the bar of the Millenium hotel in London on November 1st 2006. He died 22 days later.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoBoth polonium and uranium have different isotopes. You can't simply compare one element to another; you have to compare individual isotopes. Check the Wikipedia articles (or other sources) on Uranium and Polonium, to get a list of common isotopes; the isotopes that has the shortest half-life will decay fastest, and can thus be said to be "more radioactive".
Wiki User
∙ 8y agoEach element has different isotopes with different specific activities; the comparison may be valid only between specified isotopes.
So, polonium-210 is more radioactive than radium-226.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoRadium and polonium are natural chemical elements, metals, radioactive, unstable, discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie, Pierre Curie and Bemont.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe specific (radio)activity and the toxicity of polonium are greater.
Samantha Teh So Hong
polonium decays faster than uranium thus making polonium more radioactive.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoIt all depends on the dose.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Which element is more radioactive and explosive uranium or polonium?
Polonium is more toxic and has a specific radioactivity greater than uranium but cannot be used in nuclear weapons.
Is uranium a example of a radioactive element?
All elements have radioactive isotopes. Add a couple of hundred neutrons, and any stable element becomes radioactive.Technetium, promethium, and anything heavier than bismuth (element 83) will have radioactive decay.radio active elements can be uranium,radium,thorium,polonium,actinium etc.usually all elements of atomic number higher than 82 show radioactivity.
When was polonium discovered?
Polonium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, who were studying the residues of uranium pitchblende (after uranium separation) from Jachymow; the residue has a greater radioactivity than uranium.
How does polonium react with chemicals?
Polonium is a reactive metal but being very radioactive, dangerous, scarce and expensive the chemistry of Po was not intensively studied.Some compounds of polonium are: PoO, PoO2, PoO3, PoH2, halides as PoX2, PoX4, PoX6 and the strange class of polonides (compounds of polonium with other metals). The Pauling electronegativity is 2. Possible valences are: 2, 4, 5, 6, -2.
Does uranium decay to lead in one step?
No, it's a long chain. The decay sequence is: Uranium-238 to thorium-234 to protactinium-234 to Uranium-234 to thorium-230 to radium-226 to radon-222 to polonium-218 to lead-214 to bismuth-214 to polonium-214 to lead-210 to bismuth-210 to polonium-210 to lead-206 which is its final stable form. Radioactive decay occurs when an unstable (radioactive) isotope transforms to a more stable isotope, generally by emitting a subatomic particle such as an alpha or beta particle (helium nucleus or electron). The half-life of one of the elements above can be shorter than a millisecond (Po-214) or as long as 4.5 billion years (U-238).
What elements did Marie Curie discovered?
She discovered the elements Polonium, which was named after her homeland, and radium. Polonium is 4x more radioactive than uranium and radium is 10x more radioactive than uranium.
Which element is more radioactive and explosive uranium or polonium?
Polonium is more toxic and has a specific radioactivity greater than uranium but cannot be used in nuclear weapons.
Which element is more radioactive than uranium?
polonium, radium, plutonium and many others
What is more radioactive than pure uranium?
Many radioactive isotopes are more radioactive than the naturally occurring uranium isotopes:All fission product isotopes are more radioactive (e.g. iodine-131, strontium-90)Most radioactive isotopes in the uranium --> lead decay chain are more radioactive (e.g. radium, radon, polonium)Plutonium is more radioactiveTritium is more radioactiveCarbon-14 is more radioactiveArtificially produced uranium isotopes are more radioactive (e.g. uranium-233, uranium-236)etc.
When and how polonium was discovered?
Studying residues of uranium ores Marie Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; she attributed this radioactivity to an unknown element. She isolated this element and named this element polonium.
Why did Marie Curie discover polonium?
Studying residues of uranium ores Marie Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; she attributed this radioactivity to a new element. She isolated this element and named polonium.
Why did Marie Curie discover polonium and radium?
Studying residues of uranium ores, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; they attributed this radioactivity to unknown elements. They isolated these elements and named these elements polonium and radium.
How did Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the presence of radioactive elements other than uranium?
Polonium and radium are discovered in wastes from uranium minerals, after uranium separation. The important radioactivity of these residues (without uranium) warned the two about the possible existence of other radioactive elements.
How did Marie Curie find out polonium?
Studying residues of uranium ores Marie Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; she attributed this radioactivity to unknown elements. She isolated these elements and named these elements polonium and radium.
Why did Marie Curie invent polonium?
Polonium was discovered - not invented !Studying residues of uranium ores Marie Curie and Pierre Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; they attributed this radioactivity to unknown elements. They isolated these elements and named these elements polonium and radium.
What did Marie Curie do polonium?
Studying residues of uranium ores Marie Curie and Pierre Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; they attributed this radioactivity to unknown elements. They isolated these elements and named these elements polonium and radium.
What did Marie Curie discover about radium and polonium?
Marie and Pierre Curie discovered that polonium and radium are natural radioactive chemical elements. Studying residues of uranium ores Marie Curie and Pierre Curie found that these residues are more radioactive than uranium; they attributed this radioactivity to unknown elements. They isolated these elements and named these elements polonium and radium.
