Article
Article
Polonium
Article By:
Bagnall, Kenneth W. Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Harwell, United Kingdom.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.533400
A chemical element, Po, atomic number 84. Marie Curie discovered the radioisotope 210Po in pitchblende. This isotope is the penultimate member of the radium decay series. All polonium isotopes are radioactive, and all are shortlived except the three α-emitters, artificially produced 208Po (2.9 years) and 209Po (100 years), and natural 210Po (138.4 days). See also: Periodic table
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