Chemical data for Po - Polonium | PhysLink.com

Polonium

 Polonium 
Po
Atomic Number: 84
Atomic Weight: -209.0
Element Type: Metal
Crystal Structure: Monoclinic
Melting Point: 254.0°C = 489.2°F = 527.15 K
Boiling Point: 962.0°C = 1763.6°F = 1235.15 K
Critical Temp: °C = °F = K
Atomic Radius: 1.53 Å (Å = Angstrom = 10-10 m)
Covalent Radius: 1.46 Å
Electronegativity: 2.0

History

(Poland, native country of Mme. Curie) Polonium, also called Radium F, was the firstelement discovered by Mme. Curie in 1898 while seeking the cause of radioactivity ofpitchblend from Joachimsthal, Bohemia. The electroscope showed it separating with bismuth.


Sources

Polonium is a very rare natural element. Uranium ores contain only about 100 microgramsof the element per ton. Its abundance is only about 0.2% of that of radium.

In 1934, scientists discovered that when they bombarded natural bismuth (209Bi) withneutrons, 210Bi, the parent of polonium, was obtained. Milligram amounts of polonium maynow be prepared this way, by using the high neutron fluxes of nuclear reactors.

Polonium is available commercially on special order from the Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory.