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 Radium bromide Radium bromide is the bromide salt of radium, with the formula RaBr. It is produced during the separation of radium from uranium ore. This inorganic compound was discovered by Pierre and Marie Curie in 1898, which sparked a huge interest in radiochemistry, especially radiotherapy. Since radium oxidizes rapidly in air and in water, the salt form is the preferred chemical form to work with. Even though the salt form is more stable, radium bromide is still a dangerous chemical that can explode under certain conditions. After the Curies discovered radium, many people tried to get as much radium