What is Polonium?
[[File:Po-TableImage.png|thumb|right|250px|Polonium's position on the periodic table.]] '''Polonium''' is a rare [[radioactive]] [[metalloid]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://periodic.lanl.gov/metal.shtml |title=Characterizing the Elements |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=Los Alamos National Laboratory |accessdate=4 March 2013}}</ref> It is [[chemical element]] 84 on the [[periodic table]] and its symbol is '''Po'''. It was discovered in 1898 by [[Marie Curie|Marie]] and [[Pierre Curie]]. Polonium is highly unstable, [[radioactive]] and [[toxic]]. This makes it difficult to handle. It can be dangerous, even in very small amounts. One gram of Po will self-heat to a temperature of about {{convert|500|°C|°F}}. It also [[vapor]]izes easily. Polonium has 33 [[isotope]]s, and all of them are radioactive. It is a very rare element in nature because of its short [[Half-life (element)|half-life]]. It is a breakdown product of [[uranium]], so it is found in uranium [[ore]]s. Polonium is also very important because it is the main element of nuclear bombs. == References == {{Reflist}} {{chem-stub}} {{Periodic Table}} {{authority control}} [[Category:Post-transition metals]]