Polonium-210 has a very clear association with radiation. And this is not in vain, since it is extremely dangerous.
Discovery history
Its existence was predicted back in 1889 by Mendeleev, when he created his famous periodic table. In practice, this element, number 84, was obtained nine years later by the efforts of the Curies, who studied the phenomenon of radiation. Maria Sklodowska-Curie tried to find out the reason for the strong radiation emanating from certain minerals, and therefore began working with several rock samples, processing them in all ways available to her, dividing into fractions and discarding the unnecessary. As a result, she received a new substance that became an analogue of bismuth and the third discovered radioactive element after uranium and thorium.
Despite the successful results of the experiment, Maria was in no hurry to talk about her discovery. The spectral analysis carried out by a colleague of the Curie spouses also did not give grounds to talk about the discovery of a new element. Nevertheless, in a report at a meeting of the Paris Academy of Sciences in July 1898, the couple reportedsupposedly obtaining a substance that exhibits the properties of a metal and proposed to name it polonium in honor of Poland - Mary's homeland. This was the first and only case in history when an element that has not yet been reliably identified has already received a name. Well, the first sample appeared only in 1910.
Physical and chemical properties
Polonium is a relatively soft, silvery-white metal. It is so radioactive that it glows in the dark and heats up constantly. At the same time, its melting point is slightly higher than that of tin - only 254 degrees Celsius. The metal oxidizes very quickly in air. At low temperatures, it forms a monatomic simple cubic crystal lattice.
In terms of its chemical properties, polonium is very close to its counterpart - tellurium. In addition, the nature of its compounds is greatly influenced by a high level of radiation. So reactions involving polonium can be quite spectacular and interesting, albeit quite dangerous in terms of he alth benefits.
Isotopes
In total, science currently knows 27 (according to other sources - 33) forms of polonium. None of them is stable and they are all radioactive. The heaviest of the isotopes (with ordinal numbers from 210 to 218) are found in nature in small quantities, the rest can only be obtained artificially.
Radioactive polonium-210 is the longest-lived form of nature. It is contained in a small amount in radium-uranium ores and is formed due to the chainreactions starting with U-238 and lasting about 4.5 billion years in terms of half-life.
Receive
1 ton of uranium ore contains the isotope polonium-210 in an amount equal to about 100 micrograms. They can be isolated during the processing of production waste, however, to obtain a more or less significant volume of the element, a huge amount of material would have to be processed. A much simpler and more efficient way is the synthesis using neutron irradiation of natural bismuth in nuclear reactors.
As a result, after some more procedures, polonium-210 is obtained. Isotopes 208 and 209 can also be obtained by irradiating bismuth or lead with accelerated beams of alpha particles, protons or deuterons.
Radioactivity
Polonium-210, like other isotopes, is an alpha emitter. The heavier group also emits gamma rays. Despite the fact that the 210 isotope is a source of only alpha particles, it is quite dangerous, it cannot be taken by hand and even approached at close range, because, when heated, it passes into an aerosol state. It is also extremely dangerous to get polonium inside with breath or food. That is why work with this substance takes place in special sealed boxes. It is curious that this element was found in tobacco leaves about half a century ago. The decay period of polonium-210 compared to other isotopes is large enough, and therefore it can accumulate in the plant and subsequently harmhe alth of the smoker even more. However, any attempt to extract this substance from tobacco has been unsuccessful.
Danger
Because polonium-210 emits only alpha particles, taking certain precautions, you should not be afraid to work with it. These waves rarely travel more than a dozen centimeters, and they usually cannot penetrate the skin.
However, once inside the body, they cause him great harm. When it enters the bloodstream, it quickly spreads to all tissues - after a few minutes, its presence can be seen in all organs. It is primarily present in the kidneys and liver, but in general it is distributed fairly evenly, which may explain its high overall damaging effect.
The toxicity of polonium is so great that even small doses cause chronic radiation sickness and death in 6-11 months. The main routes of excretion from the body are through the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. There is a dependence on the method of entry. The half-life is 30 to 50 days.
Accidental polonium poisoning is completely impossible. To obtain a sufficient amount of the substance, it is necessary to have access to a nuclear reactor and deliberately put an isotope on the victim. The complexity of diagnosis also lies in the fact that only a few cases are known throughout history. The first victim is the daughter of the discoverers of polonium, Irene Joliot-Curie, who, during research, broke the capsule with the substance in the laboratory and died 10 years later. Two more casesbelong to the 21st century. The first of them is the sensational case of Litvinenko, who died in 2006, and the second is the death of Yasser Arafat, in whose things traces of a radioactive isotope were found. However, a definitive diagnosis was never confirmed.
Decomposition
One of the longest-lived isotopes, along with 208 and 209, is polonium-210. The half-life (that is, the time during which the number of radioactive particles is halved) for the first two is 2, 9 and 102 years, respectively, and for the last 138 days and 9 hours. As for the rest of the isotopes, their lifetime is calculated mainly in minutes and hours.
The combination of various properties of polonium-210 makes it the most convenient of the range for use in various areas of life. Being in a special metal shell, he can no longer harm his he alth, but is able to give his energy for the benefit of mankind. So what is polonium-210 used for today?
Modern application
According to some reports, about 95% of polonium production is concentrated in Russia, and about 100 grams of the substance is synthesized per year, and almost all of it is exported to the United States.
There are several areas where polonium-210 is used. First of all, these are spacecraft. With its compact size, it is indispensable as an excellent source of energy and heat. Although its effectiveness is halved about every 5 months, heavier isotopes are much more expensive to produce.
ExceptMoreover, polonium is absolutely indispensable in nuclear physics. It is widely used in the study of the effect of alpha radiation on other substances.
Finally, another area of application is the production of devices for removing static electricity for both industrial and domestic use. It's amazing how such a dangerous element can become almost a kitchen utensil, being enclosed in a reliable shell.
