Polonium-210
| General | |
|---|---|
| Symbol | 210Po |
| Names | polonium-210, radium F |
| Protons (Z) | 84 |
| Neutrons (N) | 126 |
| Nuclide data | |
| Natural abundance | Trace |
| Half-life (t1/2) | 138.376±0.002 d |
| Isotope mass | 209.9828736 Da |
| Spin | 0 |
| Parent isotopes | 210Bi (β−) |
| Decay products | 206Pb |
| Decay modes | |
| Decay mode | Decay energy (MeV) |
| Alpha decay | 5.40753 |
| Isotopes of polonium Complete table of nuclides | |
Polonium-210 (210Po, Po-210, historically radium F) is an isotope of polonium. It undergoes alpha decay to stable 206Pb with a half-life of 138.376 days (about 4+1⁄2 months), the longest half-life of all naturally occurring polonium isotopes (210–218Po). First identified in 1898, and also marking the discovery of the element polonium, 210Po is generated in the decay chain of uranium-238 and radium-226. 210Po is a prominent contaminant in the environment, mostly affecting seafood and tobacco. Its extreme toxicity is attributed to intense radioactivity, mostly due to alpha particles, which easily cause radiation damage, including cancer in surrounding tissue. The specific activity of 210
Po is 166 TBq/g, i.e., 1.66×1014 Bq/g. At the same time, 210Po is not readily detected by common radiation detectors, because its gamma rays have a very low energy. Therefore, 210
Po can be considered as a quasi-pure alpha emitter.