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How does radium-226 occur naturally in uranium ores?
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alkaline-earth metal
Modern version of the periodic table of the elements (printable).
Radium-226 occurs naturally in uranium ores as a result of the continuous radioactive decay of uranium-238. Because all isotopes of radium are radioactive and relatively short-lived on a geological time scale, any primeval radium has long since disappeared; therefore, it exists today only as a disintegration product within natural radioactive decay series.1
Specifically, radium-226 is a member of the uranium-decay series. In this process, it is formed from its parent isotope, thorium-230, and subsequently decays into radon-222. While radium is present in all uranium ores, it is widely distributed in nature because it can form water-soluble compounds.1