After graduating from college, in a laboratory, Mary met the brilliant French scientist Boer? Curie (1859 ~ 1906). At that time, Buel was already a famous physicist and served as the laboratory director of the Institute of Chemical Physics in Paris. On the first night when they met, Mary and Bill had an interesting scientific conversation around the timely crystal. Mary later recalled, "I like his deliberate and deliberate manner." I also like his simplicity and his serious and energetic smile. We started talking about science ... before we knew it, we became friends. "Bull, like Mary, is indifferent to comfortable material life and devoted to scientific experiments. Buel's proposal was put forward in a truly scientific way. The first gift of the suitor was a booklet written by Buel himself, entitled "On the Symmetry Principle in Physical Phenomena and the Symmetry Principle of Electric and Magnetic Fields". Boolean, who seemed embarrassed in the face of love, wrote a heartfelt letter to Mary: "Let's stay together for life and benefit science and mankind. How great this cause is! " A proposal without sweet words and compliments aroused Mary's infinite respect. Mary accepted Bill's proposal.
1July 26th, 895, the sky was crisp and sunny. Mary and Bull held a "keep it simple" wedding in the town hall of Sorbonne, a suburb of Paris. There were no priests, no lawyers or even wedding rings. Weddings are different from traditions, and honeymoons are even more spectacular. The newlyweds each rode a sturdy bicycle and took a bicycle honeymoon trip in the French countryside. After marriage, the couple began to engage in scientific research together. Later, Mary's daughter Eve? In his excellent biography Madame Curie, Curie said that they were "two hearts beating together, two bodies merging into one, and the intelligence of two geniuses sharing the same idea".
After marriage, Mary gave birth to two daughters in succession, but she still did not give up her doctorate in physics, published a monograph on magnetization of tempered steel, and won a scientific research award. In the rest of the time, she cooperated with her husband and helped him with the experiment. The doctor warned her to pay attention to the tuberculous lesion of the left lung and suggested that she go to a nursing home to recuperate. But Mary insisted on not going. She is too absorbed in her laboratory work. At this time, she and Bill asked Henry? Becquerel's experiment aroused people's interest. Becquerel is an outstanding French physicist. When examining a rare metal-uranium salt, he found that it emits a kind of light, which can obviously penetrate opaque objects. Becquerel put the uranium compound on the photographic negative covered with black paper, and found that the uranium compound had left radiation traces on the negative through the black paper, and the color of the photographic negative turned black. His observation shows that this is a new type of radiation emitted from the interior of solid matter, which can discharge the electroscope. This is the first time that human beings have observed the penetrating power of some strange light. The nature and source of this radiation is a fascinating mystery. What is the essence of this mysterious penetrating power that can pass through opaque substances? Where does this strange energy come from? These questions strongly attracted Mary and Bull? Curie and Mary decided to study the radiation of uranium. This is the beginning of the discovery and study of radium. This is a long and steep road to science, which cost the couple a lifetime of hard work and finally achieved their goal with the greatest courage, extraordinary imagination and indomitable perseverance.
Since the beginning of the research, they have encountered all kinds of difficulties. The only laboratory that Mary can get is a shabby wooden shed in the College of Physical Chemistry. In summer, the room is as stuffy as a steamer; In winter, the temperature is often below zero. However, at last, there is a place for scientific experiments, and this weak lung patient is desperate to explore the secrets that human beings don't know yet. She used Buel? The method of accurately measuring electricity invented by Curie was quickly put into research work. First, the ionization power of uranium rays must be measured. She tested the characteristics of uranium with extremely simple tools and found that this mysterious radiation phenomenon of metal is not affected by light, temperature and chemical state of uranium compounds. She gradually believed that the radiation phenomenon came from the radioactive energy of atoms. Maybe uranium is not the only radioactive chemical element, she thought. In order to test whether radiation will occur in other places, she carefully examined every known element, including the state of elements and compounds, and found that thorium compounds also emit radiation like uranium. She began to use the term "radioactivity" to mean the energy that emits radiation.
Then, Mary detected the ores containing thorium and uranium-pitchblende, chalcopyrite and natural uranium oxide, and conducted electrostatic tests on them. When measuring their radioactivity, she found that the radioactivity of thorium and uranium content was much stronger than expected. She tested all the known chemical elements one by one, and found no elements with such strong radioactivity. After countless experiments, Mary came to an amazing conclusion: there is a powerful radioactive substance in these minerals. She concluded that the substance was a new element. 1898 On April 12, Mary announced in her report to the Academy of Sciences that there may be a new powerful radioactive element in pitchblende. Mary? Madame Curie initiated the atomic age.
At this time, Boolean temporarily stopped studying crystals and began to explore this new element with his young wife. After thousands of experiments, they found that the content of this new element being explored is very small, accounting for only one millionth of pitchblende! On this day, she went to see her sister excitedly. "You know, Polonia," she said, "that ray I can't explain is a new chemical element. Right there, I want to catch it! "
First, the Curies used chemical analysis: acid and hydrogen-sulfur compounds were used to separate all elements in pitchblende. Then, the radioactivity of each isolate is measured quickly and accurately. Through careful separation, they found that radioactivity only exists in some parts of the ore, mainly concentrated in two different chemical fractionation parts of pitchblende, one containing bismuth and the other containing barium. They put forward a bold theory that there must be two new elements. 1in July, 898, they announced the discovery of one of the elements, which has the same chemical characteristics as bismuth. Out of strong love for the motherland, Mary named the newly discovered new element "polonium", so that the name of the motherland "Poland" will always be engraved in people's memory.
The discovery of polonium made Mary? Curie initially realized his dream and won honor for his motherland. Soon, they got into the cold and humid laboratory and continued to explore the mysteries of science. On the second day of Christmas, they announced the discovery of another new element. They call it "radium" (meaning radiation).
Their great discovery was widely congratulated, but some scientists expressed doubts about it. They said: "Radium and polonium only exist in things prepared by the husband and wife in advance, and they are imperceptible." Where is the radium? Show us radium! Faced with doubts, the Curies are determined to obtain pure radium and pure polonium. As polonium is more unstable than radium, they decided to separate radium first. This requires refining a huge amount of raw ore, and pitchblende is a very expensive mine, and the Curies simply can't afford it. How to solve this problem? They concluded that if this new element exists in pitchblende, but it is different from uranium, then the residue after uranium extraction may contain polonium and radium. At that time, this kind of residue was almost worthless, only a little more than the transportation fee.
So they began to order tons of "garbage"-pitchblende slag. To their surprise, the Austrian government decided to give them a ton of slag, but asked them to pay the transportation fee themselves, which is exactly what they wanted. A large amount of slag packed in coarse cloth bags was transported to the forgetting shed of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research. Since then, the couple shoveled "garbage" into the stove. Mary stood by the fire, stirring the boiling raw materials with an iron bar almost as long as her height. The smoke made her cry. They are like firemen on a steam turbine. They have been shoveling, shoveling and refining unswervingly for four years, and there is only one thought in their hearts-to discover the secret of new elements from the raging fire of this metal.
Mary finally took the refined and concentrated items back to the shed, refined them, and began the fractionation and crystallization of radioactive solution. 1902, that is, in Mary? Forty-five months after Curie announced the possible existence of radium, she finally extracted one tenth of pure radium from tons of pitchblende slag, only a teaspoon tip. She calculated that the atomic weight of this new element is 225. On that unforgettable night, Bull and Mary came to the dark studio to observe the luminous particles in the tiny glass container. "The phosphorescent blue outline shimmers", and the faces of the Curies "all turn to the faint shimmer, the mysterious radiation source, to radium, to their radium!"
About this period, Mary later said, "We have no money, no laboratory and no help. However, it was in this shabby shack that we spent the best and happiest years of our lives, and we devoted all our energy to the study of radium. "
Then, Mary separated a few milligrams of polonium from several tons of pitchblende residue. But no pure polonium was obtained. This proves that polonium is a substance decayed by laser rays, and she once named this unstable element with such a symbolic name. She always regrets that polonium is not as important as radium.
The discovery of radium laid the foundation of radiology and promoted the development of atomic science. Later, radium was used in medicine to benefit mankind. After the use of radium in the treatment of malignant tumors in medicine was known, scientists and technicians in some countries planned to develop this new element. Friends suggested that the Curies apply for a patent for the process of extracting radium. At that time, the price of radium was about $6.5438+$0.5 million a gram, which could bring them considerable income, but they refused. Mary said, "Radium should not be a tool for anyone to get rich. Radium is an element, it belongs to the whole world! " The Curies voluntarily announced their research results to the world for free, and did not "get material benefits" from their findings. Because of the discovery of radium and its great contribution to radiology research, Madame Curie won the Nobel Prize in Physics twice (1903,191year), and was known as the "mother of radium".
The Curies spent almost all their prize money on the experiment they planned to do again. Mary doesn't even buy a new hat. What they want is a good house where they can do experiments. The dean of the University of Paris wrote to Bull, telling him that the Minister of Culture had nominated him for the French Medal of Honor. With Mary's consent, he wrote back and said, "Please thank the minister for me and tell him that I have no desire to win any medals at all, but I urgently need a laboratory." Later, Curie became a professor at the University of Paris. At the same time, the university also provided a well-equipped laboratory, and the Curie couple's lifelong wish was realized. Mary once said, "My greatest wish is to establish a radium research institute in Warsaw." 1925, her long-cherished wish has also come true.
Mary wrote in the biography of Boolean: "Without improving personal quality, we can't expect to build a better world. To achieve this goal, each of us should work towards our highest development direction; At the same time, bear their respective responsibilities in human daily life. Our main obligation is to help those who we think will be very beneficial to them. " Mary devoted her life to the scientific research of radioactive substances until the last stage of her life. One day, when she came home from the laboratory, she said to herself, "Oh, how tired I am!" " "The next day, she couldn't get up. Doctors came to see her, but they couldn't diagnose her problem. It's a bit like a cold, tuberculosis and pernicious anemia, but it's nothing. 1On July 4th, 934, Madame Curie died of pernicious anemia caused by radium poisoning. Years of research cost her a fatal price. However, her outstanding discovery has made great contributions to mankind and will shine forever.
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