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What
the name means:
Thorium was named after the Norse god of
thunder, Thor.
Who
identified
thorium? In 1828,
Jöns Jakob Berzelius was sent a sample of a
black mineral that had been found on the
Norwegian island called Lovo. Berzelius
analysed the mineral and concluded that it
contained a new element. He named this
element thorium. Thorium was isolated in
1914.
About
thorium: Thorium
is a weak radio active element. It is quite
common in the Earth’s crust (three times
more common than the element lead). It is
found in minerals such as monazite (which
also contains the elements lanthanum and
cerium). |