Marie Curie and the Discovery of Radium

By Audrey Hunt

2005

Young Life

Marie Curie was born in 1867 in Poland as Maria Sklodowska. Maria loved school.

Pierre Curie

In 1895, Maria married a French scientist named Pierre Curie. She changed her name to its French version, Marie.

Family

Marie Curie’s daughter Irene was born in 1897. Her second daughter, Eve, was born in 1904.

Family cont.

Marie’s daughter Irene won a Nobel Prize,

making Marie the first Nobel prizewinner whose daughter was also a prizewinner.

X-RaysX-Rays were recently discovered. Marie broke down the x-rays and found uranium. She studied the uranium and found a lot of it in pitchblende.

Discovery of Radium

that radium was giving off the glow coming from the uranium.

Marie discovered

RadiumMelting point: 1,292 degrees F

Boiling point: 2,084 degrees F

RadiumAlpha, beta, and gamma rays are produced in decay of radium.

RadiumThe alpha rays produced by radium can’t penetrate the skin, but beta rays can. Gamma rays can penetrate the whole body.

RadiumIt used to be used in luminous paints and on watch dials, but has been replaced with cobalt-60.

Where Radium is Found in Nature

There are low levels of radium in the air,

water, and food.

War Duty

In WWI, Marie convinced the government to put x-ray machines in vans to help soldiers.

Effects of Radium

Radium causes types of cancer, but the Curies didn’t know radium was dangerous.

Exposure to Radium

The Curies were exposed to radium on a daily basis. Their lab chair and notebooks are still radioactive.

Nobel PrizesIn 1903, Marie shared a Nobel Prize for Physics. In 1911, she

earned a Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

AwardsMarie was the first Polish person to win a Nobel Prize and the first

person to win two Nobel Prizes.

Awards cont.

Throughout her life, Marie Curie received 15 gold medals and 19 degrees.

How Radium is Used

Radium is used in making atomic bombs. It can also be used to cure some types of cancer.

DeathMarie died in 1934 from leukemia. Her death was thought to be caused by radium.

Bibliography

1. “Radium” Wikipedia. 27 April 2005. 1 May 2005 <http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/Radium

2. “Marie Curie.” Women in Physics Herstory. 1999. Women in Physics. 27 April 2005. <http://www.physics.purdue.edu/wip/ herstory/Curie.html>

Bibliography3. Parker, Steve. Marie Curie and Radium. Chelsea House Publishers. New York. 1992.

4. Gagnon, Steve. “Radium.” Jefferson Lab. May 2 2005. <http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele088.html>

About Me

My name is Audrey Hunt. I like field hockey, volleyball, and riding. These are pictures of other things I like.