Polonium years) can be made through the alpha, proton, or deuteron bombardment of lead or bismuth in a cyclotron. Tentatively called "radium F", polonium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, and was named after Marie Curie's native land of Poland (). Poland at the time was under Russian, German, and Austro-Hungarian partition, and did not exist as an independent country. It was Curie's hope that naming the element after her native land would publicize its lack of independence. Polonium may be the first element named to highlight a political controversy. This element was the first one discovered by
Polonium dichloride by dehalogenation of polonium tetrachloride, PoCl. Methods for dehalogenating PoCl include thermal decomposition at 300 °C, reduction of cold, slightly moist PoCl by sulfur dioxide; and heating PoCl in a stream of carbon monoxide or hydrogen sulfide at 150 °C. PoCl dissolves in dilute hydrochloric acid to give a pink solution, which autoxidises to Po(IV). PoCl is rapidly oxidised by hydrogen peroxide or chlorine water. Addition of potassium hydroxide to the pink solution results in a dark brown precipitate – possibly hydrated PoO or Po(OH) – which is rapidly oxidised to Po(IV). With dilute nitric acid, PoCl forms a dark