Polonium is element number 84, with the symbol Po. Its name comes from Polonia, the Latin name for Poland.
Atomic number 84(210)
PoPoloniumポロニウム (poroniumu)
Symbol
Po
Atomic weight
(210)
Place in the table
Period 6 · Group 16
The number in parentheses is not an atomic weight. It is the mass number of one radioactive isotope of the element.
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
Discovered by the Curies
In 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie found two new radioactive elements, polonium and radium, in an ore called pitchblende.
Polonium is counted among the elements named after the homeland of their discoverers.
Where it sits on the table
Polonium is in the sixth row of Group 16. From the top: oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, polonium.
Think about it
Q1What do you think the discoverers felt when they named a new element after their country?
Q2How do you think radioactive elements were found?
Q3How many elements named after countries can you find in the Room of the Elements?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Mendeleev, creator of the periodic table, visited the Curies, confirmed the radioactive elements for himself, and revised his periodic table the next year.