Marie Curie

Marie Curie physicist

Marie Curie was born November 7th, 1867. She was born in modern day Warsaw Poland. She died July 4th, 1934 in Sancellemoz France. She lived to be 66 years old.

As a child Curie received scientific training from her father. In 1891 she moved to Paris to proceed with her studies at Sorbonne. There she acquired a licence in physicist and mathematical science.

In 1898 Curie discovered a mineral called pitchblende. She noticed it contained uranium ore in it. There was a large radioactive level in it, more than in normal uranium. It was only presented in small quantities and it was very radioactive. Since it had never been discovered before Curie believed she had discovered a new element. How ever many other scientist doubted her discoveries.

Curie and her husband Pierre started searching for the unknown element. They ground up the pitchblende and dissolved it in acid. They separated the elements and extracted black powder from it. The powder was 330 times more radioactive then uranium. They named this new element Polonium.

The Curies investigated even further and they discovered that the liquid left behind after they extracted the polonium was also extremely radioactive. They then realized that pitchblende contained another new element. Which was even more radioactive then polonium, but presented in even smaller quantities. The Curies published evidence for the existence of the new element they called radium.

Pitchblende was expensive and valuable due to the radium it contains. In order to isolate the radium they needed a lot of it. After a long difficult journey they were finally able to do that in 1902.

Marie Curie got a Doctors of Science degree in 1903. When her husband died in 1906 Curie replaced him as Professor of General Physics in the faculty of science. In 1914 the Curie Laboratory in the Radium Institute of the University of Paris was founded, and Curie was appointed director.

Along with discovering polonium and radium, Marie Curie was also the first woman to be professor of general physics. She was also not only the first woman to get a Nobel prize but she was the first woman to get two Nobel prizes. Her Nobel prizes were in chemistry and physics.

Sadly and ironically Curie died of pernicious anemia that she got from exposure to radiation from her life work. Curie was an astonishing woman that had many great accomplishments and she will forever be remembered for her amazing work.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html

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

https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/themes/physics/curie/

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Marie Curie physicist

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