🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Radium
• Discovered By: Marie Curie and Pierre Curie
• Year of Discovery: 1898
• Category: Alkaline Earth Metal (Radioactive)
• Group: 2
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (silvery-white metal) ⚙️

Radium is a highly radioactive metal known for its glowing properties and early medical uses.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: Ra
• Atomic Number: 88
• Atomic Mass: ~226 u
• Valency: +2
• Electronic Configuration: [Rn] 7s²

Radium reacts quickly with air and moisture, forming a black surface layer.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Radium was one of the first radioactive elements discovered and was used in luminous paints and cancer treatments.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• Named after the Latin word “radius” meaning “ray” because it emits strong radiation ⚡
• Radium salts glow faintly in the dark due to their radioactivity ✨
• It was once used in glow-in-the-dark watches and clock dials before safety concerns were known ⏰
• Marie Curie’s pioneering work with radium helped open the field of nuclear physics and medicine 🏥
• Handling radium without protection caused serious health problems for early researchers ⚠️

🔧 Common Uses

• Medical Treatments: Early use in cancer radiation therapy 🏥⚛️
• Luminous Paint: Used historically in glow-in-the-dark products (now banned) ⏰✨
• Scientific Research: Studied for radioactive decay and nuclear science 🔬
• Radiation Source: Used in some industrial and medical instruments ⚙️

📚 Conclusion

Radium is a historic radioactive element that helped shape modern science and medicine but is also a reminder of the importance of safety with radiation. For students, it’s a key part of the story of how we discovered and use radioactive elements! 🌟⚛️