Radium of radium Curie used the residues after extraction of uranium from pitchblende. The uranium had been extracted by dissolution in sulfuric acid leaving radium sulfate, which is similar to barium sulfate but even less soluble in the residues. The residues also contained rather substantial amounts of barium sulfate which thus acted as a carrier for the radium sulfate. The first steps of the radium extraction process involved boiling with sodium hydroxide followed by hydrochloric acid treatment to remove as much as possible of other compounds. The remaining residue was then treated with sodium carbonate to convert the barium sulfate into
Radium bromide as possible to use it for medical purposes. However, it was not long until radium and radium salts were thought of as magical substances and were added to food, drinks, clothing, toys and more. Respectable journals in the early 1900s published statements claiming that radium had no toxic effect. Scientists were racing against each other trying to be the first to successfully use radium to cure health problems. Radium salts, including radium bromide, were most often used by placing the chemical in a tube that was then passed over or inserted into the problem site or tissue in the body.