Where is radium mined

For more information on the Visual Elements image see the Uses and properties section below. Group A vertical column in the periodic table. Members of a group typically have similar properties and electron configurations in their outer shell. Period A horizontal row in the periodic table. The atomic number of each element increases by one, reading from left to right. Block Elements are organised into blocks by the orbital type in which the outer electrons are found.

These blocks are named for the characteristic spectra they produce: sharp s , principal p , diffuse d , and fundamental f. Atomic number The number of protons in an atom. Electron configuration The arrangements of electrons above the last closed shell noble gas. Melting point The temperature at which the solid—liquid phase change occurs. Boiling point The temperature at which the liquid—gas phase change occurs.

Sublimation The transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas phase without passing through a liquid phase. Relative atomic mass The mass of an atom relative to that of carbon This is approximately the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus.

Where more than one isotope exists, the value given is the abundance weighted average. Isotopes Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons. CAS number The Chemical Abstracts Service registry number is a unique identifier of a particular chemical, designed to prevent confusion arising from different languages and naming systems.

Murray Robertson is the artist behind the images which make up Visual Elements. This is where the artist explains his interpretation of the element and the science behind the picture. Where the element is most commonly found in nature, and how it is sourced commercially. Atomic radius, non-bonded Half of the distance between two unbonded atoms of the same element when the electrostatic forces are balanced. These values were determined using several different methods. Covalent radius Half of the distance between two atoms within a single covalent bond.

Values are given for typical oxidation number and coordination. Electron affinity The energy released when an electron is added to the neutral atom and a negative ion is formed. Electronegativity Pauling scale The tendency of an atom to attract electrons towards itself, expressed on a relative scale.

First ionisation energy The minimum energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom in its ground state. The oxidation state of an atom is a measure of the degree of oxidation of an atom.

It is defined as being the charge that an atom would have if all bonds were ionic. Uncombined elements have an oxidation state of 0. The sum of the oxidation states within a compound or ion must equal the overall charge.

Data for this section been provided by the British Geological Survey. An integrated supply risk index from 1 very low risk to 10 very high risk. This is calculated by combining the scores for crustal abundance, reserve distribution, production concentration, substitutability, recycling rate and political stability scores.

The percentage of a commodity which is recycled. A higher recycling rate may reduce risk to supply. The availability of suitable substitutes for a given commodity. The percentage of an element produced in the top producing country. The higher the value, the larger risk there is to supply. The percentage of the world reserves located in the country with the largest reserves. A percentile rank for the political stability of the top producing country, derived from World Bank governance indicators.

A percentile rank for the political stability of the country with the largest reserves, derived from World Bank governance indicators. Specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to change the temperature of a kilogram of a substance by 1 K. A measure of the stiffness of a substance. It provides a measure of how difficult it is to extend a material, with a value given by the ratio of tensile strength to tensile strain.

A measure of how difficult it is to deform a material. It is given by the ratio of the shear stress to the shear strain. A measure of how difficult it is to compress a substance.

It is given by the ratio of the pressure on a body to the fractional decrease in volume. A measure of the propensity of a substance to evaporate. It is defined as the equilibrium pressure exerted by the gas produced above a substance in a closed system. This Site has been carefully prepared for your visit, and we ask you to honour and agree to the following terms and conditions when using this Site. Copyright of and ownership in the Images reside with Murray Robertson.

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Jump to main content. Periodic Table. Glossary Allotropes Some elements exist in several different structural forms, called allotropes.

Glossary Group A vertical column in the periodic table. Fact box. Glossary Image explanation Murray Robertson is the artist behind the images which make up Visual Elements. Appearance The description of the element in its natural form.

Biological role The role of the element in humans, animals and plants. Natural abundance Where the element is most commonly found in nature, and how it is sourced commercially.

Uses and properties. Image explanation. The image represents the former use of radium in luminous paint used for clock and watch dials. Radium now has few uses, because it is so highly radioactive. Radium is sometimes used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to the bones.

Because bones contain calcium and radium is in the same group as calcium, it can be used to target cancerous bone cells. At first, the main interest was in the radium used for medical purposes. After the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Great Bear Lake uranium ore was sent to the United States for the construction of more bombs.

At its inception, the mine employed few Dene workers. The new demand for uranium led to the employment of Dene people. Some moved their families close to the mine. The ore had to be transported in pound bags down the Great Bear River by barge, then portaged by truck at the rapids and loaded onto another boat.

At every stop, the bags had to be loaded and unloaded on the backs of the ore carriers. And every time it was handled, the powdery ore would leak from the bags. An estimated 1. The workers and families were not told about the risks from exposure to uranium ore, nor about its connection to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In an effort to make amends, a delegation of Dene people attended the peace ceremonies at Hiroshima in on the anniversary of the bombing. The site was initially mined intermittently by private companies from to , when ore was first sent to Sydney then later to Dry Creek South Australia to produce radium. Between and the principal mining activities were undertaken by the South Australia Government. During this campaign the ore was mined using underground methods and crushed onsite to produce a uranium ore concentrate.

The concentrates were then sent via rail to Port Pirie for chemical extraction of the uranium. A township for people was established 2 km northwest of the mine to accommodate the workforce and their families. Upon closure the site was abandoned, accesses to mine workings were blocked and infrastructure was removed in accordance with the environmental standards of the day. In following a reassessment of the site, further rehabilitation was undertaken and included additional backfilling of old mine openings and covering of the tailings impoundment.

At the same time, the site was also established as a repository for low-level radioactive waste materials, primarily to facilitate the clean up of contaminated soil held in Thebarton in the Adelaide metropolitan area.

The Government of South Australia's Mineral Resources Division has retained management responsibility of the site for the government, and maintains a continuing watch on the site with radiological advice and assistance from the Radiation Protection Division of the Environment Protection Agency EPA.