Marie Curie doubt, the Curies sought to isolate polonium and radium in pure form. Pitchblende is a complex mineral; the chemical separation of its constituents was an arduous task. The discovery of polonium had been relatively easy; chemically it resembles the element bismuth, and polonium was the only bismuth-like substance in the ore. Radium, however, was more elusive; it is closely related chemically to barium, and pitchblende contains both elements. By 1898 the Curies had obtained traces of radium, but appreciable quantities, uncontaminated with barium, were still beyond reach. The Curies undertook the arduous task of separating out radium salt by differential
Polonium trioxide Polonium trioxide Polonium trioxide (also known as polonium(VI) oxide) is a chemical compound with the formula PoO. It is one of three oxides of polonium, the other two being polonium monoxide (PoO) and polonium dioxide (PoO). It is an interchalcogen. It has so far only been detected in traces. It has been reported that trace quantities of polonium trioxide form during the anodic deposition of polonium from acidic solutions; although there is no experimental evidence for this, the fact that the deposit dissolves in hydrogen peroxide suggests that it contains polonium in a high oxidation state. It has been predicted