Po Polonium Element Information: Facts, Properties, Trends, Uses and comparison - Periodic Table of the Elements

Polonium is a chemical element with symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element with no stable isotopes, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Applications of polonium are few.

Polonium Facts

Read key information and facts about element Polonium

Name	Polonium
Atomic Number	84
Atomic Symbol	Po
Atomic Weight	209
Phase	Solid
Color	Silver
Classification	metalloid
Group in Periodic Table	16
Group Name	oxygen family
Period in Periodic Table	6
Block in Periodic Table	p-block
Electronic Configuration	[Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4
Melting Point	254 °C
Boiling Point	962 °C
Electronic Shell Structure	[2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 6]
CAS Number	CAS7440-08-6

Neighborhood

Lanthanides

Actinide

How to Locate Polonium on Periodic Table

Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 84 to find Polonium on periodic table.

Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Polonium on periodic table look for cross section of group 16 and period 6 in the modern periodic table.

Atomic & Orbital Properties

Chemical Properties

Isotopes

Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines

Databases

Compare Polonium with other elements

Polonium History

The element Polonium was discovered by Pierre Curie in year 1898 in France . Polonium derived its name from Named after the home country of Marie Curie(Poland), who is also the discoverer of Radium

Polonium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us

The table below shows the abundance of Polonium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.

	Ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %)
Abundance in Universe	N/A
Abundance in Sun	N/A
Abundance in Meteorites	N/A
Abundance in Earth's Crust	N/A
Abundance in Oceans	2×10-18%
Abundance in Humans	None

Crystal Structure of Polonium

The solid state structure of Polonium is Simple Cubic.

The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.

Unit Cell Parameters

The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)

a	b	c
335.9	335.9	335.9 pm

and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).

alpha	beta	gamma
π/2	π/2	π/2

The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( x_i, y_i, z_i) measured from a reference lattice point.

The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.

Space Group Name	Pm-3m
Space Group Number	221
Crystal Structure	Simple Cubic

Polonium Atomic and Orbital Properties

Polonium atoms have 84 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 6] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) ³P₂.

Atomic Number	84
Number of Electrons (with no charge)	84
Number of Protons	84
Mass Number	209
Number of Neutrons	125
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level)	[2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 6]
Electron Configuration	[Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4
Valence Electrons	6s2 6p4
Oxidation State	-2 2;4;5;6
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers)	³P₂

Shell Structure of Polonium - Electrons per energy level

84 Po Polonium - Electron Shell Structure | SchoolMyKids

n		s	p	d	f
1	K	2
2	L	2	6
3	M	2	6	10
4	N	2	6	10	14
5	O	2	6	10
6	P	2	4

Ground State Electronic Configuration of Polonium - neutral Polonium atom

The ground state electronic configuration of Neutral Polonium atom is [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4. The portion of Polonium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Xe]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used.This is important as it is the Valence electrons 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.

Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Polonium

Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Polonium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d10 5s2 5p6 4f14 5d10 6s2 6p4

Atomic Structure of Polonium

Polonium atomic radius is 135 pm, while it's covalent radius is N/A.

Atomic Radius	135 pm (1.35 Å)
Atomic Volume	22.7272727273 cm³
Covalent Radius	N/A
Van der Waals Radius	N/A
Neutron Cross Section	0.5 σa/barns

Atomic Spectrum of Polonium

Atomic Spectrum of Polonium | SchoolMyKids

Polonium Chemical Properties: Polonium Ionization Energies and electron affinity

The electron affinity of Polonium is 183.3 kJ/mol

Valence	6
Electronegativity	2
ElectronAffinity	183.3 kJ/mol

Ionization Energy of Polonium

Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Polonium

Ionization energy number	Enthalpy - kJ/mol
1	812.1

Polonium Physical Properties

Refer to below table for Polonium Physical Properties

Density	9.196 g/cm3
Molar Volume	22.7272727273 cm3

Elastic Properties

Young Modulus	N/A
Shear Modulus	N/A
Bulk Modulus	N/A
Poisson Ratio	N/A

Hardness of Polonium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element

Mohs Hardness	N/A
Vickers Hardness	N/A
Brinell Hardness	N/A

Polonium Electrical Properties

Polonium is Conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties of Polonium

Electrical Conductivity	2.3×106 S/m
Resistivity	4.3×10-7 m Ω
Superconducting Point	N/A

Polonium Heat and Conduction Properties

Thermal Conductivity	N/A
Thermal Expansion	N/A

Polonium Magnetic Properties

Magnetic Type	N/A
Curie Point	N/A
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility	N/A
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility	N/A
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility	N/A

Optical Properties of Polonium

Refractive Index	N/A

Acoustic Properties of Polonium

Speed of Sound	N/A

Polonium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics

Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Polonium

Melting Point	527 K (254 °C)
Boiling Point	1235 K (962 °C)
Critical Temperature	N/A
Superconducting Point	N/A

Enthalpies of Polonium

Heat of Fusion	13 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization	100 kJ/mol
Heat of Combustion	N/A

Polonium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Polonium

Isotopes of rhodium. Naturally occurring Polonium has 1 stable isotope - None.

Isotope	Isotope Mass	% Abundance	T half	Decay Mode
188Po
189Po
190Po
191Po
192Po
193Po
194Po
195Po
196Po
197Po
198Po
199Po
200Po
201Po
202Po
203Po
204Po
205Po
206Po
207Po
208Po
209Po
210Po
211Po
212Po
213Po
214Po
215Po
216Po
217Po
218Po
219Po
220Po

Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines

CAS Number	CAS7440-08-6
RTECS Number	N/A
DOT Hazard Class	N/A
DOT Numbers	N/A
EU Number	N/A
NFPA Fire Rating	N/A
NFPA Hazards	N/A
NFPA Health Rating	N/A
NFPA Reactivity Rating	N/A