Marie Curie

Marie Curie is recognized as one of the most influential and important scientists in
history, not only for her scientific contributions, but also for her fight for gender
equality in education and science. Her legacy has inspired many women and men
to pursue scientific and technological careers.
She was born in Warsaw, Poland, into a family of academics and educators. She
was a Polish-French scientist who lived from 1867 to 1934. She studied at the
University of Paris, where she met her husband, Pierre Curie. Together, they
researched and discovered the chemical elements radium and polonium, and also
developed the theory of radioactivity.
She is especially known for her pioneering work in the field of radioactivity, for which
he received two Nobel Prizes, one in Physics in 1903 and the other in Chemistry in
1911. Curie was also the first woman to receive a doctorate in France, and the first
female professor at the University of Paris.
In summary, his most significant achievements were:
 Development of the theory of radioactivity.
 Discovery of the elements radium and polonium. Through observation of
radium, made a fundamental discovery: Radiation wasn’t dependent on the
organization of atoms at the molecular level.
 She and her husband had discovered that radium destroyed diseased cells
faster than healthy cells, and thus that radiation could be used to treat tumors.
 Foundation of the Curie Institute: In 1914, Marie Curie founded the Curie Institute
in Paris, which became a leading research center in the fight against cancer.
 Development of radiography techniques: Marie Curie contributed to the
development of radiography techniques, which allow obtaining medical images
detailed without the need for surgery.
 During World War I, Curie promoted the use of X-rays; she developed
radiological cars - which later became known as “petites Curies” - to allow
battlefield surgeons to X-ray wounded soldiers and operate more accurately.
In addition to her scientific achievements, Marie Curie was an advocate for gender
equality in science and education.
Marie Curie died on July 4th, 1934 near Salanches, France, from aplastic anemia—
a rare disorder in which the spinal cord does not produce enough new cells—
probably contracted as a result of continued exposure to radiation. Marie's research
was pioneering, so much so that neither she nor her husband were aware of the
dangers they were exposed to with radiation.
Experimento (Explicación)
Marie Curie suspected that uranium ores must contain a highly radioactive element
that had not yet been discovered (based on her research for her doctoral thesis on
radioactive substances). Since she had noticed that Uranium ores are more
radioactive than the pure metallic uranium that is extracted from them. Together with
her husband and her assistant, they chemically processed a ton of uranium ore and
managed to isolate a few milligrams of Radio Chloride. This salt, despite being
scarce, served to demonstrate the existence of a new element 900 times more
radioactive than pure uranium metal. .
After an analysis reaction (electrolysis, using a catalog of mercury and distilled
hydrogen) she was able to obtain a sample of the element radium in its pure state.
This has a grayish and soft appearance, it oxidizes immediately so it turns from gray
to black, it is so radioactive that it ionizes the oxygen around it producing a weak
blue glow visible in the dark, it is luminescent.
There is usually less than one gram of pure Radium for each ton of Uranium ore,
specifically Marie worked with uranium variants such as pitchblende, torbernite and
autunite.

Sadurní, J. M. (2022, 15 diciembre). Marie Curie, la madre de la física moderna.

historia.nationalgeographic.com.es.

https://historia.nationalgeographic.com.es/a/marie-curie-madre-fisica-

moderna_14453

CienciaDeSofa. (2021, 14 octubre). Tabla periódica | El RADIO, un metal RADIACTIVO

que hace un siglo SE BEBÍA. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_HgLcP5ksM