What Is Polonium?

Answer:

Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Sklodowska-Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive metalloid, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Polonium has been studied for possible use in heating spacecraft. It is unstable; all isotopes of polonium are radioactive.

The instability of this element makes it difficult for scientists to identify its chemical properties. It takes on a solid shape in pure form, and appears to have a crystalline physical structure. It is typically classified as a metalloid, and as one might imagine, it is highly toxic due to its radioactivity. Given the rarity of polonium, you are unlikely to encounter it; if you see enough to be able to be able to examine its physical properties, you will be dead from radiation exposure.

Polonium is used as a neutron trigger for , in making photographic plates, and to reduce static charges in industrial applications such as textile mills. Of course, it can also be used as a , as it is over 250,000 times as toxic as , and is very hard to find in a body. And if you’re a smoker you get a dose of polonium every time you light up!