Table of Contents
What does PO-210 represent?
Polonium-210 (Po-210) is a radioactive material that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust at very low levels. Po-210 is a product of the radioactive decay of uranium-238, which decays to radon-222 and then to polonium. Polonium 210 has a half-life of 138 days.
What is the element that comes from the alpha decay of radon 210?
polonium-210
alpha decay Thus polonium-210 (mass number 210 and atomic number 84, i.e., a nucleus with 84 protons) decays by alpha emission to lead-206 (atomic number 82).
What is the symbol of polonium?
Po
Polonium/Symbol
What symbol is Po on the periodic table?
Polonium
Polonium (Po), a radioactive, silvery-gray or black metallic element of the oxygen group (Group 16 [VIa] in the periodic table).
What does polonium 210 do to the body?
Polonium-210 is a known carcinogen. When inhaled, it causes lung cancer. When swallowed, it becomes concentrated in red blood cells, before spreading to the liver, kidneys, bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract, and the testicles or ovaries.
How can you tell polonium 210?
Because polonium-210 only emits alpha radiation it cannot be detected by a whole body counter. For this reason, stool or urine samples need to be analysed in order to detect the incorporation of polonium. It is easier to detect the incorporation in urine samples than in stool samples.
Is polonium 210 soluble in water?
The toxicity of 210Po stems entirely from its radioactivity. It is not chemically toxic in itself, but its solubility in aqueous solution as well as that of its salts poses a hazard because its spread throughout the body is facilitated in solution.
What is polonium used for today?
Because of its high radioactivity, polonium has few commercial applications. Among the element’s limited uses are eliminating static electricity in machinery and removing dust from photographic film. The element is also used as a lightweight heat source for thermoelectric power in satellites and other spacecraft.
Is polonium a cigarette?
The common dangers of cigarettes have been known for decades. However, few people know that tobacco also contains radioactive materials: polonium-210 and lead-210. Together, the toxic and radioactive substances in cigarettes harm smokers.
What is LV on the periodic table?
It is to be called Livermorium (symbol Lv) in honour of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, home of the US end of the collaborative team and a stalwart of nuclear and heavy-element research.
How many protons are in the nucleus of Po-210?
Po-210 has 84 protons and 126 neutrons in its nucleus. During alpha decay, an #alpha”-particle”#, which is essentially a Helium-4 nucleus, is emitted by the nucleus.
How many alpha particles in a milligram of 210 Po?
Owing to its much shorter half-life, a milligram of 210 Po emits as many alpha particles per second as 5 grams of 226 Ra. A few curies of 210 Po emit a blue glow caused by excitation of surrounding air.
Why does polonium 210 have a short half life?
It is the short half-lives of 210 Bi and 210 Po that prevent the formation of heavier elements, instead resulting in a cycle of four neutron captures, two beta decays, and an alpha decay.
Which is the best way to measure polonium 210?
Rather than gamma ray spectroscopy, alpha spectroscopy is the best method of measuring this isotope. Owing to its much shorter half-life, a milligram of 210 Po emits as many alpha particles per second as 5 grams of 226 Ra. A few curies of 210 Po emit a blue glow caused by excitation of surrounding air.