Polonium

Polonium ( /pɵˈloʊniəm/ po- LOH  -nee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84, discovered in 1898 by Marie and Pierre Curie. A rare and highly radioactive element with no stable isotopes, polonium is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and it occurs in uranium ores. Applications of polonium are few, and include heaters in space probes, antistatic devices, and sources of neutrons and alpha particles. Because of its position in the periodic table, polonium is sometimes referred to as a metalloid,[1] however others note that on the basis of its properties and behavior it is "unambiguously a metal".[2]

