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Glite Dictionary
ionium

ionium

1 9.9
An old name for the radioactive thorium-230 that scientists use to date rocks and sediments
  • noun
  • /ˈaɪəˌniəm/
  • Archaic
: ionio
  • Scientists measured the amount of ionium in the sediment to estimate its age.

Examples

  • Although ionium is no longer a common term, it appears in older scientific literature.

  • The discovery of ionium helped improve methods for dating ancient marine deposits.

  • The study focused on ionium as a dating method.

  • Many scientists have researched ionium for its properties.

  • The analysis of soil samples revealed significant amounts of ionium, indicating an accurate age for the sediment layers.

  • Scientists are studying ionium to understand its role in radioactive decay and its applications in geology.

  • Taking the atomic weight of uranium as 238.5, the atomic weight of ionium should be 230.5, of radium 226.5, of the emanation 222.5, and so on.

Surface Forms

ionium singular
ioniums plural

Morphology

ionium = ion (opaque) = ion + ium

Although the form suggests 'ion' + the chemical suffix '-ium', the word names a specific isotope (thorium-230) and knowing 'ion' does not allow inference of that meaning.

Etymology

Ionium looks like the word ion, which means a 'charged particle', so a helpful way to remember it is to think of ionium as a radioactive atom that gives off charged particles. It was an older name for the radioactive form thorium-230 used in geological dating, which is why the name sounds linked to 'ion'.