BrainBox

By Aadyaa Keyal 

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever been asked this question – ”Which superhero do you want to be?” I’m sure the answer is affirmative. When one ponders about the superficial world of superheroes, so many names come to mind. They all possess supernatural powers that we always wished to embody. Though these fictional characters may be hard to embody, let’s talk about superheroes in physics.

MARIE CURIE

In physics radiation is a very important tool. 

It is defined as  the transmission or emission of energy in the form of waves or particles through a material medium or space. It is of two types. Radiation can be electromagnetic or particle radiation. Electromagnetic radiation is pure energy with no weight, while particle radiation is made up of tiny, fast-moving particles that have both mass and energy.

Nowadays, it is quite injurious to humans and the negative effects seem to be skyrocketing. Do you know who investigated this unusual element that is now widely known? Let us learn about this superhero who provided substantial data against this element that we know today.

HER EARLY LIFE

She was a resilient woman who changed the face of science for generations to come. Fondly known as “Mother of Modern Physics” she was an influential woman in the male dominated field of science. Marie Curie was born as Maria Skłodowska as the youngest child of 5 to her poor parents in Poland. With great difficulty she followed her sister, an established gynaecologist, to Paris  where she enrolled herself in Sorbonne. In 1984, she met Pierre Curie, a working scientist. They happily married  a year later and she became Marie Curie. 

HOW SHE DISCOVERED AN ATOMIC NUMBER

Using Henri Becquerel’s work on radio activity as her inspiration. Marie Curie discovered that pitchblende, a mineral containing uranium, was extremely radioactive – far more than pure uranium. This led her to suspect that an unknown element was present. Despite initial scepticism from other scientists, Marie was convinced she had found something new.

The Curie’s goal was to isolate and identify the mysterious, highly radioactive element.

They broke down pitchblende into smaller parts, used acid to dissolve it, and then separated its ingredients. They then extracted a black powder extremely powerful than uranium and called it Polonium (after Poland). This is how the atomic number 84 came into existence.  

HOW SHE FOUND RADIOACTIVITY

Shortly after this they found radium. They announced these elements in 1898. The Curies discovered that the leftover liquid from extracting polonium was still highly radioactive. This led them to conclude that pitchblende contained another unknown element, even more radioactive than polonium, but present in tiny amounts.

The duo was confident about this new found radium but didn’t have a sample to prove it. After years of tirelessly working to find this expensive element and proving its existence, the Curie’s were sick and physically exhausted. This can be considered due to the presence of radiation.  Ignoring the hazardous conditions of radiation they continued to work with their raw and inflamed hands as they handled radioactive material. In 1902 Marie eventually isolated radium (as radium chloride), determining its atomic weight as 225.93. This difficult journey had finally proven fruitful.Curie and her husband published 32 scientific papers between 1898 and 1902, including one that showed that radium destroys diseased cells faster than healthy cells.

PRIZES

1903 Marie and Pierre were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics jointly with Henri Becquerel for their combined, though separate, work on radioactivity. This made her the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

In the same year, Marie passed her doctorate thesis in Physics.

Even after the tragedy of her beloved she continued to dedicate her time to science. She won the Nobel Prize for the second time in 1911 for creating a means of measuring radioactivity. This achievement recognized her as the first person to win a second Nobel Prize in two different fields. 

The legacy continued as her daughter Irene won a Nobel Prize in 1935 in the field of chemistry. 

CONCLUSION

The next time you think about physics or radioactivity, don’t forget the struggles of Marie that led to it being discovered. Radiation comes from several sources. From very commonly used man-made sources such as x-rays, screens, wifi to natural sources such as minerals in soil, water and air, it is extremely harmful for humans. They could damage tissue and DNA in genes. So, limit the exposure of radiation to the maximum and stay informed about the causes and effects. 

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SOURCES

https://www.thoughtco.com/marie-curie-biography-3529555

https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/who/our-history/marie-curie-the-scientist