EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -On April 20, 1902, Marie and Pierre Curie successfully isolate radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of the elements radium and polonium in their research of pitchblende.

Detailed explanation-2: -This led her and her husband, Pierre, to the discovery of a new element that was 400 times more radioactive than uranium. In 1898 it was added to the Periodic Table as polonium, named after Curie’s birth country.

Detailed explanation-3: -In 1898 French physicists Pierre and Marie Curie discovered the strongly radioactive elements polonium and radium, which occur naturally in uranium minerals. Marie coined the term radioactivity for the spontaneous emission of ionizing, penetrating rays by certain atoms.

Detailed explanation-4: -On 18 July 1898, they announced their discovery of polonium (named in honour of Marie Curie’s homeland) and on 26 December of the same year, they announced their discovery assisted by Gustave Bémont, of the second new element, which they called radium.

Detailed explanation-5: -French physicist Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity while working on a series of experiments on phosphorescent materials. On 26 February 1986, he placed uranium salts on top of a photographic plate wrapped in black paper.