(So named (
Medieval Latin Polonia,
Poland) in
1898 by its one of its discovers,
Marie Curie, after her native land) A
radioactive, non
metallic chemical element formed naturally by the disintegration of
radium or synthetically by the
neutron irradiation of
bismuth followed by
beta decay. It is used as a power source in space
satellites, as an aid in inducing electric discharges, etc.
Symbol: Po
Atomic number: 84
Atomic weight: 209 (isotope with the longest known half-life)
Density (at room temperature and pressure): 9.2 g/cc
Melting point: 254°C
Boiling point: 962°C
Main valence: +4
Ground state electron configuration: [Xe]4f145d106s26p4