| Marie Curie nee Sklodowska, Pierre Curie& |
7 natural metalloid polonium isotopes with mass numbers 210-212, 214-216 and 218 are found as members of radioactive decay series of uranium, actinouranium and thorium.
Polonium is a rare element; its crustal abundance is 2x10-15%. Native polonium is a soft metal with silver luster, density 9.3 g/cm-3, melting point 254°C, boiling point 1162°C. Outer electron shell configuration is 6s26p4. Chemical properties are very close to those of tellurium as well as oxidation numbers: -2, +2, +4 and +6. Known oxides are PoO, PoO2 and PoO3 as well as hydroxide PoO(OH)2. Zinc with polonium chloride solution yields volatile hydride PoH2. Ions PoO2-4, PoO2-3, Po4+ and Po2+ exist in solutions. |