Which element was isolated by Marie Curie in 1898 by extracting the remaining radioactive components of pitchblende after removing Uranium?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The correct answer is option 4 i.e. Polonium.
The correct answer is Polonium. In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered polonium while studying the radioactive residues of pitchblende after uranium had been extracted. They named it after Marie Curie’s homeland, Poland, to draw attention to its struggles under foreign rule. Polonium was one of the first elements identified as more radioactive than uranium.
Other options:
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Cesium: Discovered in 1860 by Bunsen and Kirchhoff using spectroscopy.
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Thorium: Discovered in 1828 by Jöns Jakob Berzelius.
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Strontium: Discovered in 1790s, long before Curie’s work.