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Element 88 - Radium (Ra)
From
radius
, or ray; discovered 1898 by Pierre and Marie Curie; sixth rarest of the elements. A mixture of radium bromide and zinc sulfide was used in luminous watch dials. The radium gives off dangerous radiation which causes the zinc sulfide to glow.
Properties
Atomic Number
:
88
Atomic Weight
:
226.0254
Electron Configuration
(at ground state):
1s
2
2s
2
2p
6
3s
2
3p
6
3d
10
4s
2
4p
6
4d
10
5s
2
5p
6
4f
14
5d
10
6s
2
6p
6
7s
2
Oxidation States
(Bold most stable):
+2
Boiling Point
(K):
1413
Melting Point (K):
973
Density
(at 300K -- g/cm
3
):
5.0
Atomic Volume (at 300K -- cm
3
/mol)
45.2
Number of natural
radioactive
isotopes:
4
Mass Number
(Bold naturally occurring) --
Half-Life
--
Disintigration Type
:
226
-- 1.6 x 10
3
years --
alpha particle
emission
Atomic Radius (Å):
2.23
First
Ionization Potential
(V):
5.279
Electronegativity
(Pauling's):
0.89
Specific Heat
Capacity (at 300K -- J g
-1
K
-1
):
0.094
Heat of Vaporization (kJ/mol):
136.82
Heat of Fusion (kJ/mol):
8.37
Electrical Conductivity (at 293K for polycrystalline material -- 10
6
-1
cm
-1
):
1.0
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m
-1
K
-1
):
18.6
Crystal Structure:
Cubic, body centered
Acid
-
Base
Properties:
Very basic