Radium radioactive inert gases

RANDON A naturally occurring radioactive inert gas formed by radioactive decay of radium atoms in soil and rocks and that cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted. 

Radon A naturally occurring radioactive inert gas that cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted, formed by radioactive decay of radium atoms in soil and rocks RDA Recommended daily allowance the National Academy of Sciences sets the required nutrient values for healthy people in the United States. The values take into consideration the needs of all individuals RDI Recommended daily intake... 

General mention should be made of the a-emitters radium 226, polonium 210, radon (radioactive inert gas) 220 and 222, uranium isotopes and thorium isotopes. 

Some special points arise from the nature of the radioactive parent substance radium and the daughter radon, which is an alpha-emitting inert gas. Precautions must be taken when sampling to prevent the gas escaping from the water prior to measurement and, on the other hand, to prevent its... 

Radon is a naturally occurring, chemically inert, radioactive gas. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It is part of the uranium-238 decay series, the direct decay product of radium-226. Radon moves to the earth s surface through tiny openings and cracks in soil and rocks. High concentrations of radon can be found in soils derived from uranium-bearing rocks, such as pitchblende and some... 

Radon in indoor air arises primarily from radium in the soil. The radon in the soil gas flows under a pressure gradient from the soil into the building. In some cases building practices can lead to high radon levels in the living areas of the house. Radon is chemically quite inert and does not pose a significant radiation health hazard in itself because the retained fraction in the body is so low (Mays et al., 1958). It is, however, an excellent vehicle for the dispersion of its short-lived radioactive decay products. 

RADON. [CAS 10043-92-2]. Chemical element symbol Rn, at. no. 86, at. wt. 222 (mass number of the most stable isotope), periodic table group 18 (inert gases), mp —71°C, bp —61.8°C. First ionization potential, 10.745 eV. Density 9.72 g/l O C, 760 torr), 7.5 x more dense than air. The gas has been liquefied at —65°C and solidified at —110°C. Radon was first isolated by Ramsay and Gray in 1908. Prior to acceptance of the present designation, radon was called niton or radium emanation. See also Radioactivity. 

Rn radon, 86, a gas, 1900 named after radium, with the suffix -on common to the inert gases it is a product of radium and is itself radioactive. It was once called niton (shining) with the symbol Nt. 

In 1899 R. B. Owens found that the conductivity produced by thorium oxide in air is erratic, and Rutherford showed that this was due to a radioactive gas, which he called thorium emanation, which was chemically inert and apparently had a high molecular weight. Radium emanation was discovered by... 

Dorn, Friedrich Ernst (1848-1916) German chemist who discovered the chemically almost inert, but medically dangerous, radioactive gaseous element radon, a noble gas, and showed that it arose as a decay product of radium. 

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