The First observation of hydrated radium at the molecular level

Yamaguchi, Akiko  ; Okumura, Masahiko   ; Takahashi, Yoshio*

Radium is a radioactive element produced from uranium and thorium and is important for environmental contamination issues around uranium mines and for geological disposal. In addition, radium is used in radiometric dating and cancer therapy, making it important not only in environmental chemistry but also in many other fields, including geochemistry and nuclear medicine. However, because radium is a radioactive element with no stable isotopes, spectroscopic measurement of radium is difficult, and little information at the molecular level has been obtained so far. In this study, we have clarified the molecular-level information of hydrated radium for the first time in the world by combining extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements and first-principles molecular dynamics simulations.