Radium

Definition

Radium is a radioactive chemical component which has the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. Its look is almost pure white, but it eagerly oxidizes on exposure to air, turning black. Radium is an alkaline earth metal that is found in trace amounts in uranium ores. It is extremely radioactive.

Properties

The heaviest of the alkaline earth metals, radium is strongly radioactive and resembles barium in its chemical behavior. This metal is originate in tiny quantity in the uranium ore pitchblende, and various other uranium minerals. Radium preparations are extraordinary for maintaining themselves at a higher temperature than their surroundings, and for their radiations, which are of three kinds: alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays.

World Resources

Radium

Application

Some of the few sensible uses of radium are derived from its radioactive properties. More freshly discovered radioisotopes, such as Co and Cs, are replacing radium in even these limited uses because several of these isotopes are more commanding emitters, safer to handle, and available in more concentrated form.When mixed with beryllium it is a neutron source for physics experiments.