Properties of Radium (Ra)
Radium is a chemical element with the symbol (Ra) and atomic number 88. It is a highly radioactive metal and is part of the alkaline earth metal group. Radium was discovered by Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie in 1898. It is formed as a decay product of uranium and thorium in the Earth’s crust.
The following table provides a comprehensive list of radium (Ra) properties in both SI and US customary/Imperial units at normal temperature and pressure (NTP).
Click on the button to switch between Metric and Imperial units.
| Physical Properties | Metric |
|---|---|
| Crystal Structure | Body-centered cubic (bcc) |
| Atomic Number | 88 |
| Molar Mass | 226 g/mol |
| Density | 5000 kg/m3 |
| Mechanical Properties | Metric |
| Young’s Modulus (E) | 13.2 GPa |
| Thermal Properties | Metric |
| Melting Point | 700 °C |
| Boiling Point | 1140 °C |
| Thermal Conductivity (27°C) | 18.6 W/m·K |
| Electrical Properties | Metric |
| Electrical Resistivity | 10-4 Ω·cm |
Unless stated otherwise, all values are taken at room temperature (approximately 20°C or 68°F) and 1 atm pressure. (1 atm = 101,325 Pa)
References: 1) Cardarelli, François. Materials Handbook: A Concise Desktop Reference. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2018. 2) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 97th Edition. United Kingdom: CRC Press, 2016-2017. 3) A.M. Howatson, P.G. Lun, J.D. Todd, P.D. Engineering Tables and Data. United Kingdom: University of Oxford, Department of Engineering Science, 2009.