2005-2006 F.6 Chemistry Project

1. 2005-2006 F.6 Chemistry Project A Famous Chemist -Marie Curie Lo Hiu Yi (22) Siu Weng Ian (25)

2. Contents • Life profile • Learning and research processes • Academic achievement • Impact of Marie Curie’s invention

3. Life profile Name: Marie Curie(1867-1934) Sex: Female Data of birth: November 7, 1867 Nationality: Polack 1883 1891 1893 1894 She was awarded a diploma plus a gold medal when she finished high school She went to Paris to continue her studies at the Sorbonne where she Obtained Licentiateships in Physics and the Mathematical Sciences She took her degree in Physics She met Pierre Curie, Professor in the School of Physics

4. She gained her Doctor of Science degree She received the Davy Medal of the Royal Society She was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physics She received a doctorate in France 1903 1911 1921 1922 1929 She became a member of the Conseil du Physique Solvay She received a second Nobel Prize for Chemistry President Harding of the United States presented her with one gram of radium in recognition of her service to science She became a member of the Committee of Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations President Hoover of the United States presented her with a gift of $50,000 donated by American friends of science

5. Learning and research processes • Marie’s early researches, together with her husband, were often performed under difficult conditions, laboratory arrangements were poor and both had to undertake much teaching to earn a livelihood. • In December 1895, a German physicist, Wilhelm Roentgen, had discovered rays that could travel through solid wood or flesh. A few months later a French physicist, Henri Becquerel, discovered that minerals containing uranium also gave off rays. Their discovery made Marie decide to investigate the uranium rays. Working place of Marie Curie

6. After a series of experiment, she concluded that the ability to radiate did not depend on the arrangement of the atoms in a molecule, it must be linked to the interior of the atom itself. • She discovered that the strength of the rays that came out depended only on the amount of uranium in the compound. She suspected that something was happening inside uranium atoms that gave rise to rays. • Trying out various chemicals, Marie found that compounds that contained an uncommon element, thorium, also gave off rays. To describe the behavior of these two elements, Marie made up the term “radioactivity.” • She figured the pitchblende must contain another element, fiercely radioactive, and never seen before. This made Pierre put aside his work on crystals to help speed up the discovery. They worked as a team, each responsible for a specific task.

7. They had no idea what the new element would be like, except that it was radioactive. After long labor they succeeded in finding not one but two new elements——“polonium”and “radium” • Pierre proved that radium could damage living flesh. That opened a new way to treat cancer and other ailments. But the skin on Marie's fingers was cracked and scarred and she lost nearly 20 pounds while doing her doctoral research, and Pierre found it hard to stand upright. • Both of them constantly suffered from fatigue. It was probably not because of overwork and stress but radiation.

8. She gained her Doctor of Science degree She received many honorary science, medicine and law degrees and honorary memberships of learned societies throughout the world. she was awarded half of the Nobel Prize for Physics She also received, jointly with her husband, the Davy Medal of the Royal Society She completed her doctoral thesis, becoming the first woman to receive a doctorate in France. After the death of Pierre Curie, she took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position 1903 1906 Academic achievement

9. She received a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element President Harding of the United States, on behalf of the women of America, presented her with one gram of radium in recognition of her service to science. She is the first woman ever appointed to teach at the Sorbonne Marie organized a private school with the parents themselves acting as teachers. She took the view that scientific subjects should be taught at an early age but not according to a too rigid curriculum. It was important for children to be able to develop freely. 1911 1921 Others

10. Impact of Marie Curie’s invention War • Curie actively promoted the use of radium to alleviate suffering and during World War I Medical Uses • Extracting radioactive substances for medical uses e.g. X-ray For experiment • Radium was also used by scientists for experiments on atoms. They confirmed what Marie had suspected—the powerful energy that showed up in radioactivity was a fundamental property of every atom of matter

11. Modern Art • It is important for the breakthrough of modern art. X-ray photography focused art on the invisible. The human body became dissolved in a shimmering mist. • Extracting radioactive substances for watches that glowed in the dark • Uranium (U) is used primarily as fuel material in nuclear power plants. Book written • Recherches sur les Substances Radioactives (Investigations on radioactive substances) (1904) • L'Isotopie et les Eléments Isotopes (Isotopy and isotopic elements) and the classic Traité de radioactivité (Treatise on radioactivity) (1910). Other Uses

12. The Nobel Prize for Physics of Marie and Pierre Curie

13. This is the diploma of Marie Curie when she finished high school