How do you detect polonium-210?

Question

It is an alpha-emmitter so cannot be detected with Geiger Mueller counter?

How are the police and scientists detecting it in the case of the russian Litvinenko who dies from it?

Answer 1

put the counter closer cos alpha raysonly travel a short distance...maybe that will work?...

or get something that will alter with radiation... i think there a material that changes colour when hit with radiation....

OOOOOOOOOrr... get something that emits a longer range radiation ray when the alpha partiles hit it...that way u can get a good approx of the count

Answer 2

The alpha rays emitted by polonium are extremely hard to detect, and a fatal dose of the element may have rapidly penetrated his bone marrow without raising immediate suspicion. Earlier this week, doctors said Litvinenko was in need of a bone marrow transplant.

"As a result of alpha ray radiation, there are very clear genetic changes in the body," Keir said. "But to know for certain that it was polonium radiation, you need to actually find polonium particles."

The best way to test for (and measure) many alpha emitters is to use alpha spectroscopy. It is common to place a drop of the test solution on a metal disk which is then dried out to give a uniform coating on the disk. This is then used as the test sample. If the thickness of the layer formed on the disk is too thick then the lines of the spectrum are broadened, this is becuase some of the energy of the alpha particles is lost during their movement through the layer of active material. An alternative method is to use internal liquid sintillation where the sample is mixed with a sintillation cocktail. Then the light emitted is then counted, some machines will record the amount of light energy per radioactive decay event. From left to right the peaks are due to 209Po, 210Po, 239Pu and 241Am. The fact that isotopes such as 239Pu and 241Am have more than one alpha line indicates that the nucleus has the ability to be in different discrete energy levels (like a molecule can).

Answer 3

The nuclear scientists are using radiographic scintilators which have been specially adapted so as to detect minute alpha emissions from polonium 210. The levels are hundreds of times lower than typically detected by the Geiger Muller device and the scintilator has to be held in close proximity to the surface being investigated since the radioactive particles do not travel far in the atmosphere.

Answer 4

This doesn't answer your question, but it is not the radioactive nature of polonium that kills people but its chemical toxicity. Also radioactivity isn't as dangerous as we used to think it was. (So we might as well just go for nuclear power?)

Answer 5

ask a scientist to detect it

Answer 6

either find adead russian or a B A frequent flyer

Answer 7

Your hair falls out and you feel terrible.