Why is this element important in everyday life?
Radium and its compounds are used for the following:
* Self-luminous paints
* Neutron sources
* Medical uses for the treatment of conditions such as cancer (now being replaced by 60 Co sources)
Self-luminous paints were used on watches for the hands and numerals to glow in the dark. Of course we now have Indiglo or back-lit watches which make the whole face of the watch light up. Radium is also used as neutron sources in a fission reactor. This process would be everyday life to a nuclear chemist, but not to us. An easy way of understanding this concept is by the following. Neutrons are often used as bombarding particles to effect nuclear reactions. Since neutrons are not charged and are not repelled by a nucleus, they are readily absorbed by many nuclei, leading to new nuclides. The most common source of neutrons for this purpose is, like I stated before, a fission reactor. Medical uses for radium used to be for the treatment of conditions such as cancer, but is now being replaced by 60 Co sources for, most likely, safety purposes.
Where is this element found in nature?
Alkaline-earth metals are too reactive to be found in nature as free elements, but they are less reactive than group 1 since they have to lose two electrons (instead of one) to reach a noble gas electron configuration. Radium is a naturally occurring radioactive element, which is extremely rare and is a minor compound of uranium ore. Alkaline-earth metals occur most commonly as the carbonates, phosphates, silicates, and sulfates. They are only found naturally as compounds that are either insoluble or only slightly soluble in water. Alkaline-earth metals also: form ionic compounds primarily; react with water to form bases and hydrogen gas; are good conductors of heat and electricity; and are ductile and malleable. All alkaline-earth metals do in fact contain the naturally radioactive element radium.
What are the properties of the element?
General Characteristics =
Pure metallic radium is brilliant white when freshly prepared, but blackens on exposure to air, probably due to the formation of nitride. Radium is also a solid and part of the alkaline-earth metal group.
Atomic Symbol =Ra
Period Number =7
Group Number and Family Name =2, Alkaline-earth metals
Atomic Number =88
Atomic Mass =226.025 u
Density =5(?) g/cm3
Melting Point =700 degrees C
Boiling Point =1140 degrees C
Electron Configuration =Ra-1s22s22p63s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p66s24f145d106p67s2
Shorthand Notation =Ra-[Rn] 7s2
Common Reactions =Reacts with water to form bases and Hydrogen gas
Interesting Information =Radium was the first radioactive element discovered. Pierre and Marie Curie came across Radium in France in 1898.
Who is Ray Radium ?
This is the story of Ray Radium. He is a dangerous fellow since he emits alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma radiation. He tried to be useful a long time ago as a treatment for cancer. This is possible only because he is chemically similar to calcium and magnesium; therefore, Mr. Radium can be incorporated into body tissue. Ray's alpha particles are responsible for the luminous glow of older watch deals. Years ago, the numbers on watch faces were painted by hand with the help of Ray Radium's luminescent salts. To paint the tiny numerals, factory workers licked their paintbrushes into fine points. Now we know that once Mr. Radium is exposed to us, the mean guy can cause cancer and other body disorders.
It was nearly 20 years before anyone realized that Ray's alpha radiation from the paint penetrated tongues and mouth linings and eventually caused mouth cancers. But Ray Radium is not all that bad. In fact, his gamma rays can make the radioactive menace helpful. He has been used in the treatment of some forms of cancer, although Mr. Radium must be handled with extreme care. Marie Curie, co-adopter with her husband of Ray Radium, was unaware of him being over a million times more radioactive than the same mass of uranium, and died from leukemia. So if I would come across Ray someday, I'd leave him alone because I know that he decays to release life-threatening radon gas. Since radium is a natural element, it can be found in many rocks, especially those associated with granite and other volcanic materials.
