 |
The Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association, Inc. "Preserving, Exhibiting, Interpreting and Teaching the History of the Manhattan Project" |
|
| Home | Site Map | Contact Us | Feedback | Mission |
Irene Joliot-Curie
France: 1897 - 1956
Discovered Artificial Radioactivity1935 Nobel Prize in ChemistryDirector of the Radium Institute
|
| As the oldest
daughter of Marie and Pierre Curie, it is no surprise that Irene would
exhibit an early interest in science. Unlike other young girls of
this time, Irene's interest was considered by her parents to be
completely normal. It was expected that she should pursue an
advanced degree in science. Accordingly, Irene attended the
University of Paris, where she graduated with a doctorate in physics.
After graduation, Irene began work with her mother at the Radium Institute. There she met her future husband, Frederic Joliot and they married in 1926, adopting the combined name of Joliot-Curie. They would work together as a team until the German occupation of France during World War II. In 1933, they made the discovery that radioactive elements can be artificially produced from stable elements. This was done by exposing aluminum foil to alpha particles. When the radioactive source was removed, the Joliot-Curies discovered that the aluminum had become radioactive. This discovery had far reaching applications - especially in medicine. Other isotopes were soon discovered, including a radioactive form of iodine, which was used to treat thyroid diseases. Because their discovery proved that radioactive isotopes could be made relatively inexpensively, the difficult task of separating naturally occurring radioactive isotopes from their ores (which her mother, Marie, had labored long to do) was no longer necessary. This discovery greatly advanced the development of nuclear physics. Like her mother, Irene Joliot-Curie died of leukemia caused by years of radiation exposure. She was 58 years old. |
IF
YOU SEE A YELLOW "ENTER" BUTTON ABOVE, PLEASE DO NOT "CLICK" ON IT.
THIS WILL TAKE YOU TO A GAMBLING SITE WHICH WAS ADDED TO OUR WEB SITE
WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION!
This web site is growing by 150 pages per month - Click
