Element Radon, Rn, Noble Gas
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Radon History
In 1899, Robert B. Owens, an American physicist, observed that some new substance appeared during thorium decay. This new substance may be removed from thorium solutions by air flow. Rutherford, who was teaching at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, concluded that thorium compounds continuously emit a radioactive gas which retains the radioactive powers for several minutes. He called this gas "emanation", from Latin "emanare" - to elapse and "emanatio" - expiration. In 1900, Friedrich Ernst Dorn in Germany and Andre-Louis Debierne in France confirmed the findings of Rutherford as radium emanation. Rutherford, Ramsay and Soddy showed that thorium emanation is a new element of the noble gas family named radon.
Radon Occurrence
Noble Gas Radon is one of the rarest of natural elements. The outer 1.6 km deep layers of the Earth's crust only 115 tons. Being formed in radioactive ores it gradually comes on to the Earth surface, in hydrosphere and atmosphere. Average concentration in atmosphere is 6x10-17 mass %, in sea water until 0.001 pCi/l. Radon contributes the main part of air natural radioactivity.
Radon Neighbours
Chemical Elements | | | |