Nuclear explosure from the radioactive materials.

 

Discovery of radium

Radium is one of the radioactive elements that constantly emit invisible radiation. The radiations are called radioactive rays. These radiations are called radioactive rays. These rays are extremely powerful and can be used to help control such diseases as cancer because of their destructive powers.

The radioactive rays are of three types – alpha, beta and gamma. Due to the emission of these rays, a radioactive element slowly disintegrates and gets converted into a different element. Radium disintegrates to finally change into lead. It takes 1622 years to convert half of it to become lead. This is called the half-life of the radioactive element which means that it will take another 1622 years to completely convert radium into lead.

Behind the discovery and usefulness of radium stands the genius and extreme hard work of the famous couple Madam Curie and Pierre Curie.

The phenomenon of radioactivity in uranium had been earlier discovered by Henri Becquerel in 1896. He found that uranium emits radiation that is invisible to the human eye but is more powerful than X-rays. In 1898 the curie couple found that thorium also emits similar radiations. They also believed that the uranium ore, pitchblende, must have some other radioactive substance. But to find this the ore must be refined to a much higher degree. This was not an easy task. The couple worked tirelessly day and night although they were poor and could not afford a comfortable laboratory for the work. They worked in a tin shed without paying attention to rain, storm and cold and finally succeeded in extracting 100 milligrams of radium from several tons of pitchblende.

Marie and Pierre Curie were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery in 1903. This unit of measure of the specific activity of a radioactive preparation is named curie in their honour.

Importance of uranium

Uranium is sometimes called the fuel source of the modern age. It has helped unlock the tremendous energy hidden inside the atom. This atomic energy can be used for destructive purposes, but can also be used for generating energy for creative purposes. One kilogram of uranium can produce as much energy as nearly three million kilograms of coal.

Pure uranium looks like silver or aluminium. But it is much heavier than other metals. A 0.3 cubic meter of uranium weighs more than half a ton.

Uranium is radioactive-this means its atoms break down slowly, releasing energy in the form of radiation. Some of its atoms are fissionable which means they can be made to explode and break into two and in the process release vast amounts of energy. Because of these properties, uranium is a very important metal. But extracting its ores to get it in its pure form is a complicated and expensive process.

What does uranium do in atomic bombs?

Uranium is a radioactive element. The atoms of a radioactive element break down for a certain period, releasing energy and particles from their nucleus. Normally this breakdown happens in only a few atoms at a time. But in an atomic bomb, the atoms break down very quickly, releasing a great amount of energy all at once. This process is called a chain reaction. Once the chain reaction inside the atomic bomb's uranium begins, it keeps going until most of the atoms have been split. And this happens, in a fraction of a second, so that all the energy is released at once resulting in a very big explosion. Just one pound of uranium can produce energy equal to the burning of about three million pounds of coal.