Radium is a highly radioactive, silvery-white alkaline earth metal with the symbol Ra and atomic number 88. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898.

Why is radium radioactive?

Radium is naturally radioactive because it undergoes decay. As it breaks down into other elements, it emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, eventually leading to stable lead isotopes.

How is radium extracted?

Radium is extracted from uranium and thorium ores, primarily through lixiviation, which involves treating the ores with water and acids to isolate radium and other compounds.

What happens when radium is exposed to air?

Radium quickly reacts with nitrogen in the air, forming a black layer of radium nitride on its surface. This reactivity and radioactivity make radium challenging to handle in open air.

Radium: Properties, Uses and FAQs

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Radium

Radium, with the symbol Ra, is a chemical element in Group 2 of the periodic table, making it the sixth element in the alkaline earth metals group. In its pure form, radium appears silvery-white. However, when exposed to air, it quickly reacts with nitrogen, forming a black surface layer of radium nitride.

1.0Introduction

Radium, an alkaline earth metal with the symbol Ra, was discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie. This soft, shiny, silvery-white metal is highly radioactive, about 2.7 million times more than uranium. Radium is formed through the radioactive decay of uranium and thorium, and it’s typically found in trace amounts within uranium-rich ores, like pitchblende (UO₂). Extracted through a series of lixiviations due to the solubility of its compounds, radium’s abundance in Earth’s crust is very low—around 1 part per trillion, making it the 84th most abundant element. The name radium comes from the Latin word radius, meaning "ray."

2.0Physical Properties of Radium

Property	Description
Appearance	Silvery, lustrous, soft, and radioactive
State at Room Temperature	Solid
Key isotopes	²²⁶Ra
Melting Point	700°C
Boiling Point	1140°C
Density	5.5 g/cm³ (higher than barium)

3.0Chemical Properties of Radium

Radium, the heaviest known member of the alkaline earth metals and the only radioactive element in its group, closely resembles barium in its properties. It is highly reactive, consistently displaying an oxidation state of +2 and forming a basic, colourless Ra²⁺ ion in aqueous solutions that do not typically form complexes. As a result, radium primarily forms simple ionic compounds.

Common Radium Compounds:

Radium Oxide (RaO)
Radium Hydroxide (Ra(OH)₂)
Radium Chloride (RaCl₂)
Radium Bromide (RaBr₂)
Radium Nitrate (Ra(NO₃)₂)

Additionally, when radium is mixed with beryllium, it emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation and releases neutrons.

Reactivity of Radium:

General Reactivity: Radium is highly reactive, readily combining with most nonmetals such as oxygen (O), fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), and nitrogen (N).
Reaction with Air: When exposed to air, radium immediately reacts with nitrogen, forming a black coating of radium nitride.
Reaction with Acids: Radium reacts with acids, releasing hydrogen gas.
Oxidation State: Radium consistently displays an oxidation state of +2, typical for alkaline earth metals.
Aqueous Behavior: In aqueous solutions, radium forms a colourless Ra²⁺ ion, which is highly basic and does not readily form complex ions.
Nature of Compounds: Radium typically forms simple ionic compounds due to its tendency to create straightforward cations in chemical reactions.

4.0Uses of Radium

Luminous Paint: Radium’s radioactive properties were historically used in self-luminous paints for watches, clocks, aircraft switches, and instrument dials to make them glow in the dark. However, this application has been discontinued due to safety concerns.
Medical Use in Cancer Treatment: Radium-produced radon gas for radiotherapy to treat cancer. Radium chloride was mainly utilised for this purpose. Today, safer cancer treatment methods are available, and radium is no longer commonly used.
Portable Neutron Source: A radium-beryllium mixture was once employed as a portable source of neutrons for scientific and industrial applications, though modern neutron sources are now preferred.
Historical Additive in Consumer Products: In the early 20th century, radium was included as an additive in various products, such as toothpaste, hair creams, and even some foods, due to misconceptions about its health benefits. This practice was later abandoned as radium’s health risks became apparent.
Physics Experiments: Radium isotopes have been used in scientific experiments to study radioactivity and nuclear reactions, although safer radioactive sources are more commonly used today.