Element Story - Francium Edition

Francium is an element with atomic number 87, belonging to Group 1 of the periodic table as an alkali metal. All of its isotopes are radioactive, and it is one of the rarest elements found in nature. In nature, it is produced in trace amounts during the radioactive decay of elements like Uranium-235 and Actinium, but due to its short half-life, the amount present in the Earth's crust is extremely small. Even the longest-lasting isotope, Francium-223, has a half-life of only about 22 minutes. Francium is expected to be highly reactive, and like other alkali metals, it readily loses electrons to form a +1 oxidation state ion. However, because the amount obtainable from nature is extremely limited, it is difficult to directly measure the physical properties of metallic francium, and many of its properties are studied by comparison with other alkali metals. Francium was discovered in 1939 by the French physicist Marguerite Perey, and it was named in honor of her home country, France. It can also be produced in the universe through the decay of heavy radioactive elements, but its extremely short lifespan makes it difficult to accumulate in nature.