Radium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It is the sixth element in group 2 of the periodic table, also known as the alkaline earth metals. Pure radium is silvery-white, but it readily reacts with nitrogen (rather than oxygen) upon exposure to air, forming a black surface layer of radium nitride (Ra 3 N 2).

Apr 8, 2025 · Radium is a radioactive chemical element that is the heaviest of the alkaline-earth metals of the periodic table. Radium is a silvery white metal that does not occur free in nature. Its most characteristic property is its intense radioactivity, which causes compounds of the element to display a faint bluish glow in the dark.

Nov 11, 2023 · Appearance: Pure radium is a silvery-white metal. Physical Properties : It is highly radioactive and its most stable isotope, Ra-226, has a half-life of about 1,600 years. Radium glows in the dark due to its intense radioactivity, which it imparts to other substances.

In 1910, through the electrolysis of a pure radium chloride solution, radium was isolated as a pure metal by Marie Curie and André-Louis Debierne. Radium information, including properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below.

Pure radium is a volatile silvery-white metal. The compound 223 Ra dichloride treats certain types of cancer, including prostate cancer. Radium was the first radioactive element to be discovered. Radium was once used in cosmetics for its luminous properties, which made products glow in …

Apr 8, 2020 · With the periodic table symbol Ra, atomic number 88, atomic mass of 226.0254 g.mol-1, and electron configuration [Rn] 7s2, pure radium is a silvery-white soft metal. It reaches its boiling point at 1500°C, 2732°F, 1773 K, while the …

Radium, when in its pure metal form, is a brilliant white while fresh. However, it blackens when exposed to air, due to the formation of radium nitride on the surface. It exhibits luminescence, decomposes in water, and is more volatile that its fellow alkaline earth metal, barium (Ba).

Metallic radium was first isolated in 1910 by Marie Curie and Andre Debierne by the electrolysis of a solution of pure radium chloride. The element’s name comes from the Latin word ‘radius’ meaning ray, after the rays emitted by this radioactive element.

Jul 20, 2018 · It was not until 1910 that Marie Curie and André-Louis Debierne isolated the pure metal by electrolysis of its chloride salt with a mercury cathode. The procedure — which produced a...

Radium is obtained commercially as bromide and chloride; it is doubtful if any appreciable stock of the isolated element now exists. The pure metal is brilliant white when freshly prepared, but blackens on exposure to air, probably due to formation of the nitride.