Radium (Ra) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Radium element (Ra) is in group 2 and period 7 of a periodic table. Radium is in the s-block and it is classified as an alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to radium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Radium element (Information Table)
• Radium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Radium
• Properties of Radium
• Uses of Radium

Radium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to radium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of radium	Silvery white metallic
Atomic number of radium	88
Symbol of radium	Ra
Atomic mass of radium (most stable isotope)	226 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in radium	Protons: 88, Neutrons: 138, Electrons: 88
State of radium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of radium in periodic table	2
Period number of radium in periodic table	7
Block of radium in periodic table	s-block
Category of radium	Alkaline earth metals
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in radium	2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 8, 2
Electron configuration of radium	[Rn] 7s2
Orbital diagram of radium
Valence electrons in radium	2
Electronegativity of radium (on pauling scale)	0.9
Atomic radius of radium (van der Waals radius)	283 picometers
Density of radium	5 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of radium	5.27 eV
Main isotope of radium	226Ra
Melting point of radium	973 K or 700 °C or 1292 °F
Boiling point of radium	2010 K or 1737 °C or 3159 °F
Crystal structure of radium	Body Centered Cubic (BCC)
Discovery of radium	By Pierre Curie and Marie Curie (in 1898)

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Radium element in Periodic table

The Radium element (Ra) has the atomic number 88 and is located in group 2 and period 7. Radium is in solid state at STP and it is classified as an alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about radium

Here are a few interesting facts about radium element.

1. Pierre Curie and Marie Curie discovered the radium element in the year 1898.
2. Radium was given its name from the Latin word “radius”, meaning “ray”.
3. Radium is the heaviest alkaline earth metal on the periodic table.
4. The earth’s crust has radium element in the concentration of around 1 part per trillion by weight, which is very very less.
5. Radium is generally obtained from the radioactive decay of uranium.

Properties of radium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of radium.

Physical properties of radium

• Radium has a silvery white appearance.
• Radium has many isotopes and all these isotopes are radioactive in nature. Out of these radioactive isotopes, the most abundant is ²²⁶Ra.
• The melting point and boiling point of radium is 973 K and 2010 K respectively.
• The density of radium is 5 g/cm³ and its atomic mass is 226 amu.
• Radium has a BCC crystal structure.

Chemical properties of radium

• Radium reacts with the atmospheric nitrogen and a radium nitride layer is formed on it. Due to this reaction, its surface becomes dark.
• Radium also reacts with HCl and forms radium chloride.
• Radium reacts with water and forms radium hydroxide.

Uses of radium

Radium has no uses nowadays because of its radioactive nature. But the compound of radium (radium bromide) was used in devices like wrist watches, clocks, etc that can glow in the dark.

External resources:

1. Radium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Radium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/88/radium
2. Radium – Wikipedia. (2016, July 5). Radium – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium
3. It’s Elemental – The Element Radium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Radium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele088.html
4. P. (n.d.). Radium. Radium | Ra – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6328144
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9. The History of Radium. (n.d.). The History of Radium. http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2021/ph241/lui2/
10. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/88.shtml
11. Atomic Data for Radium (Ra). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Radium (Ra). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/radiumtable1.htm
12. C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – RADIUM. (n.d.). C&EN: IT’S ELEMENTAL: THE PERIODIC TABLE – RADIUM. https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/80th/radium.html?
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