The Energy liberated by Radium

Abstract

WHEN radium is in equilibrium with its disintegration products, it is known that the number of atoms of each of the products disintegrating per second is the same, and that this is equal to the number of α- or β-particles emitted by each product per second, according as the transformation is accompanied by α- or β-ray emission respectively. Moreover, in the case of those products (RaB and RaC) which emit γ-rays, Kovarik (Phys. Rev., 23, 559, 1924) has recently established the important result that each disintegrating atom emits only one γ-ray (quantum). The number of γ-quanta emitted per second by the amount of Ra(B + C) in equilibrium with 1 gm. of radium was found to be 7.28 × 10¹⁰, from which we may conclude that each product emits 3.64 × 10¹⁰ γ-quanta per second.