Curie and Curie: radioactive fractionation and the polonium proposal

What changed

Excess activity is followed through pitchblende fractions to a bismuth-associated concentrate, supporting a conditional inference of another element named polonium.

Scientific scope

Excess activity is followed through pitchblende fractions to a bismuth-associated concentrate, supporting a conditional inference of another element named polonium. The July 1898 report establishes activity enrichment and an element inference. It does not report pure isolation, complete chemical separation or an identified new spectral line.

Evidence

Source-linked, scoped account of the original work. The published scope states the scientific assumptions and remaining verification limits. WRS has not independently certified the full proof, experimental result or system benchmark.

Contributors

• Pierre Curie · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.
• Marie Curie · SCIENCE: Original source-listed scientific author of this scoped work; byline does not determine effort fractions.

• P. Curie and S. Curie, Sur une substance nouvelle radio-active, contenue dans la pechblende (1898)

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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