Although radon is short-lived, it is common enough that it makes up a noticeable part of the background radiation of Earth. Because of this, it has been suggested that it may have played an important role in evolution because of the mutagenic effects of the radioactive gas. Regions with higher radon content in the country rock may have led to more mutations in the local plant, animal, and microbial life, leading to more mutations and thus more evolution among those populations.
Radium is a metal that is part of the uranium-lead decay series. It is known to be highly radioactive. It was first discovered in by Pierre and Marie Curie in an ore of uranium. They identified the element because it had the capacity to glow. The metal in its pure form was first produced in by Marie Curie and one of her colleagues.
Radium is a silvery, soft metal. It can glow in the dark in its pure form because of its radioactivity. It is also the heaviest of the alkaline earth metals and can combine with most nonmetals including nitrogen and oxygen to create rare molecules.
The isotope of radium with the longest half-life is radium which has a half-life of about years. Radium, because it can glow was once used to make luminous paints.
For example, it was once used on clocks that were designed to be visible in the dark and was even used in toothpaste. This was before it was discovered to be highly radioactive. In some cases, radium has been used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to bone tissue. This is because of the similarity between radium and calcium and the fact that bones contain calcium. Because of this, radium can easily increase the occurrence of cancer, blood problems such as anemia, eye problems such as cataracts, and dental problems.
Workers likely to experience more exposure to radium include miners, particularly uranium miners. Water from wells and air near factories using fossil fuels also have higher amounts of radium.
They are both radioactive and they are both ultimately products of the decay of uranium to lead. They are also both known to be cancer-causing but have also been used to treat cancer. Radium is a decay product of uranium which is naturally occurring in the soils and rocks of the earth's crust.
Uranium is present at about 0. The concentration of radon gas in the soil will be related to the amount of uranium present. However, this is not a good indicator of the level of radon in an individual home.
The radon concentration in a home is dependant on the type of soil the home is built on. Cracks, openings and various penetrations in the building foundation will provide the pathway for the radon in the soil to enter the home. The ventilation rate and air flow patterns within a house are important factors that will affect how much radon will be pulled into different areas within the house. Radon can also be dissolved in ground water and can be introduced into the indoor air through the aeration of well water during its use in washing machines, showers, etc.
However in New York State, with a few exceptions, this component is usually relatively small compared to the amount of radon entering the home from the soil.
The U. Many homes contain radon concentrations that are high enough to give their occupants lifetime exposures that could increase their risk of developing lung cancer. As one inhales, radon decay products in the inhaled air are deposited in the lungs.
Radon and its decay products emit alpha and beta particles and gamma photons. The alpha particles are very damaging if emitted from radioactive material within the body. For example, uranium has thirty-seven different isotopes, including uranium and uranium Radium is part of the uranium decay series decay series The series of decays or transformations that radionuclides go through before reaching a stable form. For example, the decay chain that begins with Uranium culminates in Lead, after forming intermediates such as Uranium, Thorium, Radium, and Radon Also called the "decay series.
Radium and Ra are part of the thorium decay series. All isotopes of radium are radioactive. Radium decays to produce radon gas. Half-life : Radium 5. In the natural environment, radium occurs at trace levels in virtually all rock, soil, water, plants and animals. In areas where radium concentrations in rocks and soils are higher, the groundwater also typically has relatively higher radium content. Milling of uranium concentrates radium in the tailings. Although the names radon and radium sound similar, they are completely different chemical elements.
They occur in different physical states. However, both these elements are radioactive elements due to their large atomic number. Overview and Key Difference 2. What is Radon 3. What is Radium 4. Radon is a noble gas having the chemical symbol Rn and atomic number It is a radioactive element due to its large atomic number that makes it unstable. It is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless noble gas. Naturally, this element occurs in the intermediate steps of radioactive decay of thorium and uranium.
Radon is the intermediate decay product of radium.
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