What Radium Is?

Radium is a radioactive element. The elements are made up of atoms. In general, atoms are stable, meaning that they do not change from year to year. A few heaviest atoms break down and change into other kinds. This break down of atoms is called ‘radioactivity

All radio-active elements disintegrate or decay and release rays at a particular rate. This rate can not be accelerated or decelerated. However, in some, the change is rapid while in others it is slow. But man has no control over this change or take of change.

Until radium changes into the lead, in the case of this element, the change continues. As half a gram of radium would change into atoms of lower atomic weight in 1590 years. In another-spell-e€1590- years, the half of the balance radium would change, and so on until it all become bad.

Madame Curie and her husband, Pierre Curie discovered uranium. Pitch blende, an ore containing uranium was being refined by them, that they noticed, uranium was giving off invisible rays. They thought that there must be still more powerful a substance also. Initially, they discovered Polonium, which is also a radioactive element, and finally they were able to isolate a tiny speck of radium.

Three kinds of rays called Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are given off by Radium. Fast-moving particles of helium gas are Alpha rays. Beta rays are fast-moving electrons. The gamma rays are like X-rays but generally more penetrating. The ejection of one of these rays leads the atom to change into another element. This change is called atomic transmutation.