Radium bromide is not found in nature; it is created. To extract radium from uranium or pitchblende ores, the most common practice is the "Curie method", which involves two major stages. The first stage is treating uranium ore with a chemical to concentrate the radium as a combination of radium and barium. This is done by treating the ore with a barium salt and sulfuric acid which make the uranium, iron, copper, and other components within the ore become water-soluble and are drained away. A residue containing gangue, barium, radium, and lead sulfates is left over. The mixture will then be treated with sodium chloride and sodium carbonate to remove the lead and convert radium and barium into carbonates that are insoluble in hydrochloric acid.