Pierre and Marie Curie, a married couple, were the first physicists to study the radioactivity of elements. Scientists have become laureates Nobel Prize in physics for his contribution to the development of science. After her death, Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of an independent chemical element - radium.

Pierre Curie before meeting Marie

Pierre was born in Paris, the son of a doctor. The young man received an excellent education: at first he studied at home, then became a student at the Sorbonne. At the age of 18, Pierre received an academic degree as a licentiate in physical sciences.

Pierre Curie

At first scientific activity a young man, together with his brother Jacques, discovered piezoelectricity. During the experiments, the brothers concluded that as a result of compression of a hemihedral crystal with oblique faces, an electric polarization of a specific direction arises. If such a crystal is stretched, electricity is released in the opposite direction.

After that, the Curie brothers discovered the opposite effect on the deformation of crystals under the influence of electrical voltage. Young people created piezoquartz for the first time and studied its electrical deformations. Pierre and Jacques Curie learned how to use piezoelectric quartz to measure weak currents and electric charges. The fruitful cooperation of the brothers lasted five years, after which they dispersed. In 1891, Pierre made experiments on magnetism and discovered the law on the dependence of paramagnetic bodies on temperature.

Maria Sklodowska before meeting Pierre

Maria Sklodowska was born in Warsaw, in the family of a teacher. After graduating from high school, the girl entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the Sorbonne. One of the best students of the university, Sklodowska studied chemistry and physics, and free time dedicated to independent research.

Maria Skłodowska-Curie

In 1893, Maria received the degree of licentiate of physical sciences, and in 1894 the girl became a licentiate of mathematical sciences. In 1895 Marie married Pierre Curie.

Studies by Pierre and Marie Curie

The couple began to study the radioactivity of the elements. They clarified the significance of the discovery of Becquerel, who discovered the radioactive properties of uranium and compared it with phosphorescence. Becquerel believed that the radiation of uranium is a process resembling the properties of light waves. The scientist did not manage to reveal the nature of the discovered phenomenon.

Becquerel's work was continued by Pierre and Marie Curie, who began to study the phenomenon of radiation from metals, including uranium. The couple introduced the word "radioactivity" into circulation, revealing the essence of the phenomenon discovered by Becquerel.

New discoveries

In 1898, Pierre and Maria discovered a new radioactive element and named it "polonium" after Poland, Maria's homeland. This silvery-white soft metal filled one of the empty windows of Mendeleev's periodic table of chemical elements - the 86th cell. At the end of that year, the Curies discovered radium, a shiny alkaline earth metal with radioactive properties. He took the 88th cell of the periodic table of Mendeleev.

After radium and polonium, Marie and Pierre Curie discovered a number of other radioactive elements. Scientists have found that all the heavy elements located in the lower cells of the periodic table have radioactive properties. In 1906, Pierre and Maria discovered that an element contained in the cells of all living things on Earth, an isotope of potassium, has radioactivity. Click to learn more about the discoveries that made scientists world-famous.

Contribution to the development of science

In 1906, Pierre Curie was run over by a cart and died on the spot. After the death of her husband, Maria took his place at the Sorbonne and became the first female professor in history. Skłodowska-Curie lectured on radioactivity to university students.

Monument to Marie Curie in Warsaw

During the First World War, Maria worked on the creation of X-ray equipment for the needs of hospitals and worked at the Radium Institute. Skłodowska-Curie died in 1934 due to serious illness blood caused by prolonged exposure to radioactive irradiation.

Few contemporaries of the Curies understood how important scientific discoveries accomplished by physicists. Thanks to Pierre and Mary, a great revolution took place in the life of mankind - people learned how to extract atomic energy.

Marie Curie went down in history as an outstanding physicist and chemist, a pioneer in the study of radiation.

She and her husband Pierre discovered previously unknown chemical elements- polonium and radium. Together they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.

A few years later, in 1911, Maria received another one - in the field of chemistry.

Childhood. Studies

Maria Sklodowska was born in Warsaw on November 7, 1867. She was the youngest of five children: she had three older sisters and a brother.

Her parents were teachers and tried to ensure that their children received a decent education. Maria studied diligently, was distinguished by diligence.

Skłodowska graduated from high school as the top student in her class at the age of 15. Maria and her older sister Bronya wanted to continue their education.

However, only men were admitted to Warsaw University. Therefore, at the age of 17, the girl worked as a governess to help pay for her sister's studies at the medical school in Paris.

All this time, she continued to study on her own and soon entered the Sorbonne, settling in a modest dwelling with her sister. After paying for housing, they often had only money left for bread and tea. However, when the time came for the final exams, Maria again proved to be the best in her class.

Scientific activity

In July 1893, Maria Skłodowska received a master's degree in physics and a scholarship that allowed her to receive a second education in mathematics. In 1894 she met Pierre Curie. He was a brilliant scientist, and by that time had already invented several instruments for measuring magnetic fields and electricity. They married in the summer of 1895.

Marie Curie was very interested in the reports of Wilhelm Roentgen on the discovery of x-rays, as well as Henri Becquerel on the radiation emitted by uranium ores. She decided to use the devices invented by her husband to measure the weak electrical currents that she discovered next to uranium.

Her research has shown that exposure to the rays is constant, even if the uranium ore is processed. different ways. She confirmed Becquerel's observation that more uranium in the ore produces more intense radiation.

Then she put forward a revolutionary hypothesis: the detected radiation is natural property uranium atoms. This meant that the generally accepted view of the atom as smallest particle matter turned out to be false. Pierre was so interested in his wife's research that he put aside his own developments and joined his wife's research.

Marie and Pierre Curie in the laboratory photo

The laboratory was getting crowded, and the Curies moved into old barn where they processed the ore themselves. In July 1898, scientists published their findings: bismuth compounds contained a previously unknown radioactive element. The Curies named it polonium, in honor of Marie's homeland, Poland.

By the end of the same year, they discovered another radioactive element - radium, which they named after the Latin word radius - a ray. In 1902, the Curies announced their success in extracting purified radium. In 1903, Maria became the first woman in Europe to receive a doctorate in physics.

In November of the same year, the Curies, along with Henri Becquerel, were chosen to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics for their contribution to understanding the structure of the atom. In 1911, after the death of Pierre, Maria was awarded the second Nobel Prize in Chemistry - for the discovery of the elements polonium and radium.

In 1914, when the war broke out, Marie Curie organized the delivery of portable x-ray machines for doctors to the front and trained doctors to work with them. Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia on July 4, 1934. The cause of this blood disease was long-term radioactive exposure.

• After the death of her husband, Maria replaced him as a teacher, becoming the first female teacher at the Sorbonne.
• In 1944, a new discovered chemical element, curium, was named after Marie Curie.
• Marie Curie's daughter, Irene, also won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of artificial radioactivity.

A small, windswept barn filled with ore, huge vats emitting a pungent smell of chemicals, and two people, a man and a woman, conjuring over them...

An outsider who found such a picture could suspect this couple of something illegal. At best - in the underground production of alcohol, at worst - in the creation of bombs for terrorists. And certainly it would not have occurred to an outside observer that in front of him were two great physicists standing on front line Sciences.

Today the words "atomic energy", "radiation", "radioactivity" are known even to schoolchildren. Both the military and the peaceful atom have firmly entered the life of mankind, even ordinary people have heard about the pros and cons of radioactive elements.

And for another 120 years, nothing was known about radioactivity. And those who expanded the field of human knowledge made discoveries at the cost of their own health.

Mother of Marie Skłodowska-Curie. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Treaty of Sisters

November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, in the family teacher Vladislav Sklodovsky, a daughter was born, who was named Mary.

The family lived in poverty, the mother suffered from tuberculosis, the father fought with all his might for her life, at the same time trying to raise the children.

Such a life did not promise great prospects, but Maria, the first student in the class, dreamed of becoming a woman scientist. And this was at a time when even girls from wealthy families were not allowed into science, believing that this was exclusively the business of men.

But before dreaming about science, one had to get higher education and the family had no money for that. And then the two Sklodowski sisters, Maria And Bronislava, conclude an agreement - while one is studying, the second is working to provide for two. Then it will be the turn of the second sister to provide for a relative.

Bronislava entered medical institute in Paris, and Maria worked as a governess. Wealthy gentlemen who hired her would laugh for a long time if they knew what dreams this poor girl had in her head.

In 1891, Bronislava became a certified doctor, and kept her promise - 24-year-old Maria went to Paris, to the Sorbonne.

Science and Pierre

There was only enough money for a small attic in the Latin Quarter, and for the most modest food. But Maria was happy, immersed herself in her studies. She received two diplomas at once - in physics and mathematics.

In 1894, while visiting friends, Maria met Pierre Curie, head of the laboratory at the Municipal School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry, who has a reputation as a promising scientist and ... misogynist. The second was not true: Pierre ignored women not because of hostility, but because they could not share his scientific aspirations.

Maria struck Pierre on the spot with her mind. She also appreciated Pierre, but when she received a marriage proposal from him, she answered with a categorical refusal.

Curie was dumbfounded, but it was not about him, but about the intentions of Mary herself. As a girl, she decided to devote her life to science, renouncing family ties, and after completing her higher education, continue working in Poland.

Pierre Curie. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Friends and relatives urged Maria to change her mind - in Poland at that time there were no conditions for scientific activity, and Pierre was not just a man, but perfect couple for a female scientist.

Mysterious "rays"

Maria learned to cook for her husband, and in the fall of 1897 she gave birth to his daughter, who was named Irene. But she was not going to become a housewife, and Pierre supported his wife's desire for active scientific work.

Even before the birth of her daughter, Maria in 1896 chose the topic of her master's thesis. She was interested in the study of natural radioactivity, which was discovered by the French physicist Antoine Henri Becquerel.

Becquerel placed a salt of uranium (potassium uranyl sulfate) on a photographic plate wrapped in thick black paper and exposed it for several hours sunlight. He found that the radiation passed through the paper and affected the photographic plate. This seemed to indicate that the uranium salt emitted X-rays even after exposure to sunlight. However, it turned out that the same phenomenon occurred without irradiation. becquerel, observed the new kind penetrating radiation emitted without external irradiation of the source. The mysterious radiation began to be called "Becquerel rays".

Taking "Becquerel rays" as a research topic, Maria wondered if other compounds emit rays?

She came to the conclusion that in addition to uranium, thorium and its compounds emit similar rays. Maria introduced the concept of "radioactivity" to refer to this phenomenon.

Marie Curie with her daughters Eva and Irene in 1908. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Parisian miners

After the birth of her daughter, Maria, returning to research, discovered that tar blende from a mine near Joachimstal in the Czech Republic, from which uranium was mined at that time, had a radioactivity four times higher than uranium itself. At the same time, the analyzes showed that there was no thorium in the resin blende.

Then Maria put forward a hypothesis - in the resin blende there is an unknown element in extremely small quantities, the radioactivity of which is thousands of times stronger than uranium.

In March 1898, Pierre Curie set aside his research and concentrated entirely on his wife's experiences, as he realized that Marie was on the verge of something revolutionary.

On December 26, 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie made a report to the French Academy of Sciences, in which they announced the discovery of two new radioactive elements - radium and polonium.

The discovery was theoretical, and in order to confirm it, it was necessary to obtain the elements empirically.

Calculations showed that in order to obtain elements, it would be necessary to process tons of ore. There was no money for a family or for research. Therefore, the old barn became the place of processing, and chemical reactions carried out in huge vats. Analyzes of substances had to be done in a tiny, poorly equipped public school laboratory.

Four years of hard work, during which the couple regularly received burns. For chemical scientists, this was a common thing. And only later it became clear that these burns are directly related to the phenomenon of radioactivity.

Radium sounds trendy. And expensive

In September 1902, the Curies announced that they had succeeded in isolating one-tenth of a gram of radium chloride from several tons of uranium resin blende. They failed to isolate polonium, as it turned out to be a decay product of radium.

In 1903, Marie Skłodowska-Curie defended her thesis at the Sorbonne. When awarding the degree, it was noted that the work was greatest contribution ever introduced into science by a doctoral dissertation.

In the same year, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Becquerel and the Curies "for their study of the phenomenon of radioactivity discovered by Henri Becquerel." Marie Curie became the first woman to receive a major science award.

True, neither Maria nor Pierre was at the ceremony - they were sick. They associated their increased ailments with a violation of the regimen of rest and nutrition.

The discovery of the Curie spouses turned physics upside down. Leading scientists took up the study of radioactive elements, which by the middle of the 20th century would lead to the creation of the first atomic bomb and then the first power plant.

And at the beginning of the 20th century, there was even a fashion for radiation. In radium baths and drinking radioactive water, they saw almost a panacea for all diseases.

Radium had extremely high cost- for example, in 1910 it was estimated at 180 thousand dollars per gram, which was equivalent to 160 kilograms of gold. It was enough to get a patent to completely close all financial problems.

But Pierre and Marie Curie were idealists from science and refused the patent. True, with money they still became much better. Now they were willingly allocated funds for research, Pierre became a professor of physics at the Sorbonne, and Maria took over as head of the laboratory of the Municipal School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry.

Eva Curie. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

"This is the end of everything"

In 1904, Maria gave birth to a second daughter, who was named Eve. Seemed like years ahead happy life and scientific discoveries.

It all ended tragically and absurdly. On April 19, 1906, Pierre was crossing the street in Paris. It was rainy weather, the scientist slipped and fell under a cargo horse-drawn carriage. Curie's head fell under the wheel, and death was instantaneous.

It was a terrible blow for Mary. Pierre was everything to her - husband, father, children, like-minded person, assistant. In her diary, she writes: "Pierre sleeps his last sleep underground ... this is the end of everything ... everything ... everything."

In her diary, she would refer to Pierre for many years to come. The cause to which they devoted their lives became an incentive for Mary to move on.

She rejected the offered pension, saying that she was able to earn a living for herself and her daughters.

The faculty council of the Sorbonne appointed her to the chair of physics, which was previously headed by her husband. When Skłodowska-Curie gave her first lecture six months later, she became the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne.

Shame on the French Academy

In 1910, Marie Curie succeeded in collaboration with André Debierne isolate pure metallic radium, and not its compounds, as before. Thus, a 12-year cycle of research was completed, as a result of which it was undeniably proved that radium is an independent chemical element.

After this work, she was nominated for election to the French Academy of Sciences. But here there was a scandal - conservative academics were determined not to let a woman into their ranks. As a result, Marie Curie's candidacy was rejected by a margin of one vote.

This decision began to look especially shameful when, in 1911, Curie received her second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry. She became the first scientist to win the Nobel Prize twice.

The price of scientific progress

Marie Curie headed the Institute for the Study of Radioactivity, during the First World War she became the head of the Red Cross Radiology Service, dealing with the equipment and maintenance of portable X-ray machines for transilluminating the wounded.

In 1918, Maria became scientific director of the Radium Institute in Paris.

In the 1920s, Marie Skłodowska-Curie was an internationally recognized scientist who was considered an honor by the leaders of world powers. But her health continued to deteriorate rapidly.

Many years of work with radioactive elements led to the development of aplastic radiation anemia in Maria. The detrimental effects of radioactivity were first studied by scientists who began research on radioactive elements. Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934.

Maria and Pierre, Irene and Frederic

The daughter of Pierre and Maria Irene repeated the path of her mother. After graduating, she first worked as an assistant at the Radium Institute, and from 1921 began to engage in independent research. In 1926 she married a colleague, assistant of the Radium Institute Frederic Joliot.

Frederic Joliot. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Frederic was to Irene what Pierre was to Mary. The Joliot-Curies managed to discover a method that allows the synthesis of new radioactive elements.

Marie Curie just a year did not live to see the triumph of her daughter and son-in-law - in 1935, Irene Joliot-Curie and Frederic Joliot were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the synthesis of new radioactive elements." In the opening speech on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences K. V. Palmeyer reminded Irene of how she attended a similar ceremony 24 years ago when her mother received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. “In cooperation with your husband, you continue this brilliant tradition with dignity,” he said.

Irene Curie and Albert Einstein. Photo: www.globallookpress.com

Irene shared the last fate of her mother. From long work with radioactive elements, she developed acute leukemia. Nobel Prize winner and Chevalier of the Legion of Honor Irene Joliot-Curie died in Paris on March 17, 1956.

Decades after the death of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, things related to her are stored in special conditions and are not available to ordinary visitors. Her scientific notes and diaries still contain levels of radioactivity dangerous to others.

Sklodowska-Curie Maria

(b. 1867 - d. 1934)

An outstanding physicist and chemist, one of the creators of the theory of radioactivity. Together with her husband Pierre Curie, she discovered radium and polonium (1898). Twice winner of the Nobel Prize - for the study of radioactivity (1903) and for the study of the properties of metallic radium (1911).

Once Maria Sklodowska wrote in her diary: “Life is not easy, but what can you do - you need to have perseverance, and most importantly, believe in yourself. You must believe that you were born into the world for some purpose, and achieve this goal, no matter what it takes. Perhaps, these words hide the amazing secret of the success of an outstanding scientist, a woman who, during her lifetime, was awarded all sorts of honors and became famous throughout the world. The genius and incredible luck of the twice Nobel Prize winner were undeniable for those around, but only Maria knew what titanic work and willpower are behind every scientific discovery...

Maria Sklodowska was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw in a large family of teachers. When the girl was 11 years old, her mother died of tuberculosis. All care for the children was taken by the father, who had to combine the teaching of physics and mathematics in the gymnasium with the difficult role of the head of the family. However, he honorably coped with these duties and not only helped the children to go through a difficult period, but also did everything to ensure that each of them could fully enjoy life. Maria Sklodowska retained her love for her father and the feeling of spiritual closeness with him for the rest of her life. One by one, the children graduated from the gymnasium - and all with gold medals. Maria was no exception, who grew up inquisitive from childhood and was the first student in the gymnasium. Even then, she felt the attractive power of science and worked as a laboratory assistant in her cousin's chemical laboratory. One day, seeing the girl at work, a family friend, the great Russian chemist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, predicted a great future for Maria if she continued her studies. Continuing her studies was Maria's most cherished dream, but two obstacles stood in the way of her realization: the poverty of the family and the ban on the admission of women to the University of Warsaw. Therefore, immediately after graduating from high school, Maria began to earn extra money with private lessons. In rain and snow, she ran around Warsaw from one student to another, but she perfectly understood the futility of her position as a “tutor” and therefore began to look for at least some way out. Together with her sister Bronya, they developed a plan: Bronya leaves for Paris and receives medical education, and Maria has been working as a governess for five years and regularly sends her money. When the sister finishes her studies, she will call Maria to her and, in turn, will help her.

Having excellent characteristics in her hands, Maria easily found a place as a governess in a family of wealthy landowners. She spent three long painful years in a province far from home among strangers. For most of the day, the girl studied with her little students, and in her free time she read a lot, solved algebraic and trigonometric problems, and completed assignments in physics and chemistry. Sklodowska was finally convinced that none of the sciences attracted her as much as physics and mathematics. Often Maria closed her eyes and imagined how she would study at the Sorbonne, where the very air is saturated with knowledge, where they teach biology, sociology, chemistry and her favorite physics.

The loneliness of the girl sometimes became unbearable. Sometimes it seemed to her that dreams could not come true and time had stopped. By an effort of will, she forced herself to continue working and regularly sent money to her sister in Paris. During the three years spent in the village, only one significant event happened to her, which, however, brought Mary an additional portion of pain and disappointment: love broke out between her and the son of the owners. But the groom's parents opposed the conclusion of an unequal marriage. Having experienced a personal drama, Maria became even more withdrawn into herself. Some time later, she returned to Warsaw, where she continued to work as a governess.

In 1891, a long-awaited letter arrived from Paris, in which Bronya happily announced that Maria had the opportunity to become a student at the Sorbonne. Having collected her meager savings, she left for the capital of France. The girl was happy: at last, on the horizon, the outlines of her most secret dream glimmered. Before Paris, Sklodowska traveled for several days in a fourth-class carriage, spending the entire journey on a folding chair. But these inconveniences seemed to her mere trifles - after all, ahead of the Sorbonne and a new, exciting life. Arriving in Paris, Sklodowska entered the university at the Faculty of Natural Sciences. Maria studied with passion and enviable perseverance. And in the evenings she returned to the modest apartment of her sister and son-in-law on German Street, which Bronya furnished with excellent taste with things bought at sales. Peace and mutual understanding reigned here, large companies of compatriots gathered, who over a cup of tea recalled their homeland, sang and played the piano. However, despite the love with which she was surrounded by relatives and new friends, Maria soon began to suffer due to the fact that she could not retire and work in silence. Under the pretext that it was far - and expensive - for her to travel to the university, she rented a small room near the Sorbonne, where she could study in peace.

Difficult months passed. According to the memoirs of her daughter Maria, Sklodowska "doomed herself to a Spartan existence, where there was no place for human weaknesses." The room in which the girl lived was hardly heated; there was no lighting or water in it. In order to pay for housing, to buy notebooks and books, she lived in the strictest economy: she never used omnibuses, and in order not to spend money on kerosene, she studied in libraries. For many weeks, her daily diet consisted of only tea and bread and butter, and sometimes only a bunch of radishes or a few cherries. It happened that from malnutrition Maria lost consciousness right at the lectures. Despite this, the girl continued to work hard: step by step, she took a course in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and mastered the technique of research. It seemed to her that she would never be able to quench her thirst for knowledge. Sklodowska did not understand those who considered science to be a "dry area". “I am one of those,” she wrote many years later, “who are convinced of the great beauty of science. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a specialist. It is also a child standing in front of natural phenomena that strike him as fairy tale. We must be able to tell others about these feelings. We should not put up with the opinion that all scientific progress is reduced to mechanisms, machines, gears, although they are also beautiful in themselves.

Such perseverance and love for science could not but bear fruit: in 1893, Sklodowska became the first among the licentiates of the Faculty of Physics, and a year later - among the licentiates of the Mathematics.

After some time, one of the most significant events happened in the life of Mary: she met Pierre Curie while visiting her friends. The famous French physicist was an intelligent and noble person, just like Sklodowska, deeply devoted to science. Having devoted his life to scientific vocation, he needed a girlfriend who "could live the same dream as he did - a scientific dream." Pierre Curie seemed to Mary very young, although he was then already 35 years old. “I was struck by the expression of his clear eyes and a slight shade of ease in the posture of his tall figure. His speech, somewhat slow and deliberate, his simplicity, smile, both serious and youthful, inspired confidence,” M. Curie later recalled.

Having become close on the basis of common interests, young people began to meet. More and more they were imbued with mutual sympathy, which grew into a deep feeling. For 27-year-old Maria, who had no illusions about her personal life for a long time, this unexpected love seemed like a magical miracle. On July 25, 1895 they got married. From now on, the spouses were together everywhere: in laboratories, at lectures, in preparation for exams and in moments of rest. They were happy, understood and loved each other, not forgetting about their favorite work. Even the birth of her daughter Irene could not prevent Maria from continuing to do science. The young woman managed to manage the household, take care of the baby, and work in her husband's laboratory. In addition, Marie Curie began work on her dissertation, becoming interested in the discovery of uranium radiation by A. Becquerel, a completely new and unexplored material. When deciding to take on the development of this topic, Maria had no idea that she was at the very epicenter of the scientific interests of the 20th century.

In a damp and cold workshop that served as a warehouse and machine room, Curie began her research. A careful study of various materials confirmed the correctness of Becquerel, who believed that pure uranium has more radioactivity than any of its compounds. And although the results of hundreds of experiments spoke about this, the spouses subjected more and more new substances to research. Scientists drew attention to the fact that two uranium minerals - chalcolite and the resin ore of Bohemia - are much more radioactive than uranium and thorium. The conclusion suggested itself: they contain an unknown chemical element (perhaps more than one) with an even higher degree of radioactivity. In order to find a new substance, Pierre Curie left all the research he had previously worked on and joined his wife. In June 1898, the Curies announced the existence of a new radio element, proposing to name it "polonium" (in honor of Mary's homeland), and in December of the same year they announced the discovery of radium, which was named so for its inexhaustible ability to emit radiation ("radius" in translated from Latin - a ray).

However, scientists did not flatter themselves about relatively quick success, since the main work was ahead: in order to prove to the whole world the correctness of their assumptions, it was necessary to isolate these chemical elements, determine their atomic weight. Here the Curies faced a colossal problem: even the most radioactive products contained only traces of new elements, which meant that tons of raw materials would have to be processed to isolate them. They knew how to achieve desired results, but the research required large material costs, in addition, the staff and the appropriate premises were needed, and Curie had none of this. Perhaps someone else in their place would have given up, but the spouses did not have to stop in their thoughts. They turned to one of the Austrian physicists with a request to help them acquire affordable price waste of uranium ore and in parallel with this began a search suitable premises for upcoming work. The management of the Sorbonne refused to help, and the couple placed their workshop next to the university - in an old abandoned barn with plank walls, asphalt instead of a floor and a glass roof that leaked during the rain. Subsequently, M. Curie will say that it was in these miserable "mansions" that "the best and happiest years our lives, wholly devoted to science.

While scientists were developing their new possessions, good news came from Austria: at the request of the Vienna Academy of Sciences, the Austrian government instructed the director of the mine to send several tons of uranium ore waste to Paris. Soon the cherished bags of material were in the "laboratory". At first, the couple worked together on the chemical isolation of radium and polonium. Gradually, however, they came to the conclusion that it was advisable to separate responsibilities. Maria continued processing the ore to obtain pure radium salts, and Pierre experimented to refine the properties of the new material.

There were no hoods in the barn, and harmful gases were released during work, so Maria could more often be seen in the yard, surrounded by clouds of smoke. In winter, and in bad weather, she worked in a barn with open windows. “I had to process up to twenty kilograms of the starting material a day,” Curie recalled, “and as a result, our entire shed was filled with large vessels with sediments and solutions: it was exhausting work to carry bags, vessels, pour liquids and stir boiling water with an iron rod for hours.” weight in a cast-iron cauldron. However, despite the difficult working conditions, the scientists felt happy and lived absorbed in one concern, as if enchanted. In 1902, four long years after the day the Curies announced the probable existence of radium, they managed to isolate one decigram of this element, thereby gaining its official recognition.

Scientists dreamed of a new laboratory where they could continue to get acquainted with their offspring, but fate was in no hurry to make their dream come true. However, even under conditions that left much to be desired, they learned more and more details about radium. It turned out, for example, that it emits not only rays: each gram of this metal releases heat per hour, sufficient to melt the same amount of ice. If, however, a small pinch of radium salts is placed in a glass tube and soldered, and after a few days the air is displaced from it into another sealed tube, then it will begin to glow in the dark with a greenish-blue light. Many scientists became interested in these studies, among them such as Ernst Rutherford, Frederick Soddy, William Ramsay. In addition, many doctors drew attention to the new element, since it had another property: radium radiation caused burns to the human body. Pierre Curie voluntarily exposed his hand to radium for several hours: the skin first turned red, then a wound formed, which took more than two months to heal. After that, the Curies conducted a series of experiments on irradiating animals. The results were stunning: by destroying diseased cells, radium helps to cure skin cancer, a disease against which medicine was powerless.

In 1904, radium, with which scientists hoped to defeat cancer, began to be mined industrially - the first plant was built to obtain it. Despite constant financial difficulties, the Curies abandoned the patent for the production of radium, giving the world their unique discovery disinterestedly. Very quickly, almost all corners of the globe learned about the French pioneering physicists. In 1903, Maria and Pierre, at the invitation of the Royal Society, visited London, where they were awarded one of the highest awards - the Davy medal. Almost simultaneously with this event, the Curies, together with Henri Becquerel, were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery in the field of radioactivity. This is the first time a woman has received such a prize in physics. This was the pinnacle of their scientific glory! An honorary and prestigious award from the Swedish Academy of Sciences put an end to their financial difficulties.

Finally, Marie and Pierre Curie had the hope that the coming years of work would not be as difficult as the previous ones. Life seemed to get better and opened up new perspectives for scientists. The spouses were pleased not only with their favorite work, but also with the harmony and tranquility in the family. By this time, they had already raised two daughters - the eldest Irene and the youngest Eve, whom they dearly loved. But this happy period of life did not last long. On April 19, 1906, Pierre died a terrible and ridiculous death, falling under the wheels of a horse-drawn carriage. Maria lost a like-minded person, a husband, a father of her small children. “His love was an excellent gift, faithful and selfless, full of affection and care. How good it was to be surrounded by this love, and how bitter it was to lose it!” she wrote in her memoirs. Many years passed before Mary began to recover from her grief. “Basically, she never consoled herself or reconciled herself,” recalled her eldest daughter, Irene Joliot-Curie.

Marie Curie replaced her husband as professor at the University of Paris, becoming the first female professor at a French university. For those years when it was not even thought that a woman could take the position of a teacher in a higher educational institution, this initiative was very bold. At the Sorbonne, she gave the first and at that time the only course in the world of radioactivity. Simultaneously with teaching, M. Curie managed the laboratory and raised her daughters, one of whom was still a baby. Pierre's father, who lived with them for many years, helped her look after the girls. However, in 1911 he died, which was another hard blow for her. In 1910, Marie Curie was nominated for the Academy of Sciences, but failed: anti-feminists launched a vicious campaign against her nomination. Subsequently, she became a member of many foreign academies of sciences, but was never elected to the French Academy of Sciences.

During this dark period of her life, the second Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded by the Academy of Sciences in Stockholm, was especially valuable for Marie Curie. Years later, her daughter Irene received the same award.

Despite the fact that the work left little time for rest and entertainment, Mary's interests were not limited to science. She loved poetry, knew many poems by heart. According to the memoirs of her daughter, Curie enjoyed spending time in country walks, she liked to work in the garden. “She loved nature and knew how to enjoy it, but not contemplatively. In the garden she took care of flowers, in the mountains she loved to walk, stopping, of course, sometimes to rest and admire the scenery. But it would give her no pleasure to spend the day in an armchair in front of a magnificent panorama ... "

Marie Curie did not like secular receptions and tried to visit them as little as possible. Irene recalled: “... the fact that her mother did not seek secular connections is sometimes considered evidence of her modesty ... I believe that this is rather just the opposite: she very correctly assessed her importance and she was not at all flattered by meetings with titled persons or with ministers. I think she was very pleased when she happened to meet Rudyard Kipling, and the fact that she was introduced to the Queen of Romania did not make any impression on her.

In 1914, what the Curies had dreamed of more than once came true: in Paris, on Pierre Curie Street, the construction of the Radium Institute was completed. It would seem that now Maria could plunge headlong into her favorite work, but the war burst into her plans like a whirlwind. Curie decided that she could not remain in the silence of offices if people were dying somewhere.

With the same energy with which she processed tons of ore in her time, Maria took on the most difficult task - organizing X-ray examinations of the wounded not only in the rear hospitals, but also in the field. Curie created the first mobile X-ray machine, equipping necessary equipment ordinary car. Then, by analogy, several dozen more machines were created. Jokingly nicknamed "kiurichki" at the front, they appeared everywhere where there were fierce battles. Often Maria herself examined the wounded, moving from one field hospital to another.

After the war, M. Curie continued her research, devoting a lot of energy to the development of a large research center - the Institute of Radium.

In the autumn of 1933, her health deteriorated sharply, and a few months later the outstanding scientist passed away. She died on May 4, 1934 from a severe blood disease caused by prolonged exposure to radioactive substances, becoming the first person on Earth to die from the deadly rays of radium.

The whole life of Marie Sklodowska-Curie is a hymn to science, which she loved and without which she could not imagine her existence. She sincerely believed that only science and its creative power could save humanity from wars and suffering. The woman who became the first researcher of nuclear radiation hoped that "she would derive more good from new discoveries than evil."

This text is an introductory piece.

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Scientific discoveries of Maria Skłodowska-Curie

Maria Sklodowska-Curie chose the study of radioactivity as the main area of ​​application of her outstanding abilities. She worked on this topic together with her husband, studying the various properties of radioactive elements. Most of their experiments were carried out using one of the common minerals uraninite: in total, over the years of their work, they used more than eight tons of this ore.

The result of this painstaking work was the discovery of two new elements that were previously absent in known system chemicals - periodic table. Studying the various fractions formed as a result of experiments on uraninite, the spouses isolated an element that, by agreement among themselves, called radium, linking it to the Latin word "radius", which means "ray". The second element received by them during scientific work, got its name in honor of Poland - the birthplace of Maria Sklodowska-Curie: it was called polonium. Both of these discoveries took place in 1898.

However, constant work with radioactive elements could not help but negative impact the health of the researcher. She contracted leukemia and died on July 4, 1934, in her husband's homeland, France.

Recognition of scientific discoveries

Maria Skłodowska-Curie was recognized as an outstanding researcher during her lifetime. In 1903, the Nobel Committee awarded the Curies the Prize in Physics for their research on radioactivity. So Marie Skłodowska-Curie became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. In 1910, she was nominated as a candidate for admission to the French Academy of Sciences. However, the scientific environment of that time was not ready for a woman to be among its members: before this case, only men were its members. As a result, with a margin of only two votes, a negative decision was made.

Nevertheless, already in the next year, 1911, the Nobel Committee again recognized her scientific merits - this time in the field. She was awarded the prize for the discovery of radium and polonium. Thus, Marie Skłodowska-Curie is twice a Nobel laureate, and among women such laureates do not exist until today.