Polonium

Polonium
Polonium block | Image: Learnool

Polonium (Po) is a chemical element of the periodic table, located in the group 16 and the period 6, and has the atomic number 84. It is a rare, silvery-grey or black post transition metal, which is named after Poland, homeland of Marie Curie. It is highly toxic and is counted as one of the radioactive elements. It is a member of the chalcogen group.

On periodic table

group 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
period
1 1
H
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Hydrogen
2
He
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Helium
2 3
Li
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Lithium
4
Be
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Beryllium
5
B
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Boron
6
C
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Carbon
7
N
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Nitrogen
8
O
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Oxygen
9
F
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Fluorine
10
Ne
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Neon
3 11
Na
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Sodium
12
Mg
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Magnesium
13
Al
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Aluminium
14
Si
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Silicon
15
P
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Phosphorus
16
S
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Sulfur
17
Cl
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Chlorine
18
Ar
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Argon
4 19
K
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Potassium
20
Ca
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Calcium
21
Sc
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Scandium
22
Ti
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Titanium
23
V
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Vanadium
24
Cr
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Chromium
25
Mn
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Manganese
26
Fe
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Iron
27
Co
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Cobalt
28
Ni
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Nickel
29
Cu
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Copper
30
Zn
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Zinc
31
Ga
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Gallium
32
Ge
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Germanium
33
As
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Arsenic
34
Se
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Selenium
35
Br
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Bromine
36
Kr
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Krypton
5 37
Rb
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Rubidium
38
Sr
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Strontium
39
Y
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Yttrium
40
Zr
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Zirconium
41
Nb
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Niobium
42
Mo
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Molybdenum
43
Tc
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Technetium
44
Ru
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Ruthenium
45
Rh
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Rhodium
46
Pd
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Palladium
47
Ag
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Silver
48
Cd
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Cadmium
49
In
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Indium
50
Sn
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Tin
51
Sb
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Antimony
52
Te
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Tellurium
53
I
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Iodine
54
Xe
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Xenon
6 55
Cs
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Caesium
56
Ba
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Barium
72
Hf
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Hafnium
73
Ta
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Tantalum
74
W
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Tungsten
75
Re
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Rhenium
76
Os
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Osmium
77
Ir
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Iridium
78
Pt
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Platinum
79
Au
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Gold
80
Hg
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Mercury
81
Tl
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Thallium
82
Pb
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Lead
83
Bi
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Bismuth
84
Po
Polonium
85
At
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Astatine
86
Rn
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Radon
7 87
Fr
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Francium
88
Ra
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Radium
104
Rf
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Rutherfordium
105
Db
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Dubnium
106
Sg
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Seaborgium
107
Bh
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Bohrium
108
Hs
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Hassium
109
Mt
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Meitnerium
110
Ds
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Darmstadtium
111
Rg
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Roentgenium
112
Cn
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Copernicium
113
Nh
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Nihonium
114
Fl
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Flerovium
115
Mc
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Moscovium
116
Lv
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Livermorium
117
Ts
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Tennessine
118
Og
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Oganesson
57
La
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Lanthanum
58
Ce
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Cerium
59
Pr
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Praseodymium
60
Nd
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Neodymium
61
Pm
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Promethium
62
Sm
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Samarium
63
Eu
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Europium
64
Gd
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Gadolinium
65
Tb
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Terbium
66
Dy
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Dysprosium
67
Ho
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Holmium
68
Er
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Erbium
69
Tm
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Thulium
70
Yb
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Ytterbium
71
Lu
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Lutetium
89
Ac
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Actinium
90
Th
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Thorium
91
Pa
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Protactinium
92
U
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Uranium
93
Np
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Neptunium
94
Pu
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Plutonium
95
Am
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Americium
96
Cm
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Curium
97
Bk
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Berkelium
98
Cf
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Californium
99
Es
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Einsteinium
100
Fm
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Fermium
101
Md
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Mendelevium
102
No
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Nobelium
103
Lr
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Lawrencium
– p block

Polonium is a p-block element, situated in the sixteenth column (oxygen group) of the periodic table, next to bismuth (Bi). Its atomic number is 84 and its symbol is Po.

Element information

Polonium Element
Polonium appearance | Image: Wikipedia
Polonium Periodic Table
Polonium location on periodic table | Image: Learnool
Polonium is found in the sixth row of the periodic table below the tellurium element.
Origin of name named after Poland, homeland of Marie Curie
Symbol Po
Atomic number (Z) 84
Atomic mass (209)
Block p-block
Group 16 (oxygen group)
Period 6
Classification Post-transition metal
Atomic radius 168 pm
Covalent radius 140±4 pm
Van der Waals radius 197 pm
Melting point 254 ℃, 489 ℉, 527 K
Boiling point 962 ℃, 1764 ℉, 1235 K
Electron configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4
Learn how to write: Polonium electron configuration
Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 6
Crystal structure Cubic (α-Po)
Rhombohedral (β-Po)
Phase at r.t Solid
Density near r.t 9.196 g/cm3 (α-Po)
9.398 g/cm3 (β-Po)
Natural occurrence From decay
Oxidation state +2, +4
Electronegativity (Pauling scale) 2.0
Protons
Neutrons
Electrons
84
125
84
Valence electrons 6
Learn how to find: Polonium valence electrons
CAS number 7440-08-6
Discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898

History

Pierre and Marie Curie | Image: Wikipedia

Polonium is a radioactive element that was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie, who were studying the radioactive decay of uranium. They observed that certain minerals, including pitchblende, emitted a type of radiation that was more powerful than what could be explained by the presence of uranium alone. Through a series of experiments, they were able to isolate two new elements from the ore: polonium and radium. Polonium was named after Marie Curie’s native country of Poland.

The discovery of polonium marked an important milestone in the field of radioactivity, as it was the first time a new element had been discovered through its radiation. It also led to important discoveries in nuclear physics and ultimately contributed to the development of nuclear energy.

Occurrence and production

Polonium is a rare radioactive element that is not found naturally in the environment. It can be produced in small quantities through the radioactive decay of other elements, such as uranium and radium.

The main production method of polonium involves bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor, which creates a small amount of polonium as a byproduct. This method is used to produce polonium for various applications, such as in nuclear batteries, static eliminators, and as a neutron source in research. However, due to the potential health hazards associated with polonium, its production and use are heavily regulated.

Properties

Polonium is a silvery-gray metal that has a radioactive property.

It has 33 isotopes, with Po-209 having the longest half-life of all naturally occurring polonium isotopes at 125 years.

It has a density of 9.196 g/cm3, which makes it one of the densest elements.

Polonium is highly reactive, and it readily combines with other elements, particularly metals, to form compounds.

It emits alpha particles, which can be harmful to living organisms when ingested or inhaled.

Polonium has a melting point of 254 degrees Celsius and a boiling point of 962 degrees Celsius.

It is one of the rarest elements on Earth, and it is mostly produced through the decay of uranium and thorium.

Applications

Polonium has limited practical applications due to its high radioactivity and toxicity.

In the past, polonium-210 has been used as a heat source in satellites and other devices that require a compact, long-lasting source of power.

Due to its ability to generate a stream of alpha particles, polonium-210 has been used as a neutron initiator in nuclear weapons.

Polonium has also been used in certain types of scientific experiments, particularly those involving the study of materials under extreme conditions, such as high pressure or temperature.

In recent years, polonium has gained notoriety due to its use as a poison, notably in the assassination of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

Interesting facts

Polonium was named after Marie Curie’s homeland, Poland.

It is one of the rarest elements on Earth, and occurs naturally only in trace amounts.

Due to its high radioactivity, it has been used in various ways, such as in static eliminators, as a heat source in satellites, and as a neutron source in nuclear physics research.

Polonium-210 is the most stable isotope of polonium, but it has a half-life of only 138 days.

It played a significant role in the assassination of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006.

Related

More elements

s block
p block
d block
f block
Barium Aluminium Bohrium Actinium
Beryllium Antimony Cadmium Americium
Caesium Argon Chromium Berkelium
Calcium Arsenic Cobalt Californium
Francium Astatine Copernicium Cerium
Helium Bismuth Copper Curium
Hydrogen Boron Darmstadtium Dysprosium
Lithium Bromine Dubnium Einsteinium
Magnesium Carbon Gold Erbium
Potassium Chlorine Hafnium Europium
Radium Flerovium Hassium Fermium
Rubidium Fluorine Iridium Gadolinium
Sodium Gallium Iron Holmium
Strontium Germanium Lawrencium Lanthanum
Indium Lutetium Mendelevium
Iodine Manganese Neodymium
Krypton Meitnerium Neptunium
Lead Mercury Nobelium
Livermorium Molybdenum Plutonium
Moscovium Nickel Praseodymium
Neon Niobium Promethium
Nihonium Osmium Protactinium
Nitrogen Palladium Samarium
Oganesson Platinum Terbium
Oxygen Rhenium Thorium
Phosphorus Rhodium Thulium
Polonium Roentgenium Uranium
Radon Ruthenium Ytterbium
Selenium Rutherfordium
Silicon Scandium
Sulfur Seaborgium
Tellurium Silver
Tennessine Tantalum
Thallium Technetium
Tin Titanium
Xenon Tungsten
Vanadium
Yttrium
Zinc
Zirconium

External links

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Learnool.com was founded by Deep Rana, who is a mechanical engineer by profession and a blogger by passion. He has a good conceptual knowledge on different educational topics and he provides the same on this website. He loves to learn something new everyday and believes that the best utilization of free time is developing a new skill.

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