'Polonium' definitions:
Definition of 'polonium'
(from WordNet)
noun
A radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor [syn: polonium, Po, atomic number 84]
Definition of 'Polonium'
From: GCIDE
- Polonium \Po*lo"ni*um\ (p[-o]*l[=o]"n[i^]*[u^]m), n. [NL. So named after Poland, in L. form Polonia, one of the discoverers being a Pole.] (Chem.) A radioactive chemical element, discovered by M. and MMe. Curie in pitchblende, and originally called radium F. It has atomic number 84 and an atomic weight of 210. It is a very rare natural element, having an abundance in uranium ores only 0.2% that of radium. It is closely related chemically to bismuth. It emits only alpha rays, and has a half-life of 138 days. It is thus more unstable than radium, and a milligram of polonium emits as many alpha particles as 5 grams of radium. Twenty-seven isotopes are known, with atomic masses from 192 to 218. At present a more practical method of preparation than isolation from ores is the preparation by neutron bombardment of bismuth in a nuclear reactor, and it may be obtained commercially by users having an appropriate permit. --[HBCF61] [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]
Definition of 'polonium'
From: Elements
- Symbol: Po
- Atomic number: 84
- Atomic weight: (210)
- Rare radioactive metallic element, belongs to group 16 of the periodic table. Over 30 known isotopes exist, the most of all elements. Po-209 has a half-life of 103 years. Possible uses in heating spacecraft. Discovered by Marie Curie in 1898 in a sample of pitchblende.