{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.polonium","code":"thing-q979","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q979/","name":"polonium","alternateNames":["polonium-209","polonium-188","polonium-189","polonium-190","polonium-191","polonium-191m","polonium-192","polonium-192m","polonium-193","polonium-193m","polonium-194","polonium-194m"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.MAT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The chemical element with atomic number eighty-four, a rare, highly radioactive metal in group sixteen discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898 and named after Poland, occurring in trace amounts in uranium ores and produced artificially, with isotopes such as polonium-210, an intense alpha emitter, and many short-lived isotopes; polonium is used in static eliminators and as a heat source in some space applications, is extremely toxic when ingested or inhaled, and is described here without any procedural detail on handling or acquisition.","purpose":"Let an agent explain polonium as an element and its properties, isotopes and history, describe its limited uses and its radiological hazards with reference to authorities, and decline requests for acquisition or handling detail.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Rarity","Alpha radioactivity","Extreme toxicity","Historic discovery"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What polonium is.","layers":[{"id":"element","name":"Element","description":"The element.","findings":[{"id":"element-finding","name":"Element","description":"Element.","questions":[{"text":"What are the properties, isotopes and natural occurrence of polonium?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the request seeking acquisition or handling detail, which must be declined?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"radioactivity","name":"Radioactivity","description":"Radioactivity.","findings":[{"id":"radioactivity-finding","name":"Radioactivity","description":"Radioactivity.","questions":[{"text":"Why is polonium-210 such an intense alpha emitter, and how does it fit in the uranium decay chain?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits radioactive decay?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Uses and hazards.","layers":[{"id":"uses","name":"Uses","description":"Uses.","findings":[{"id":"uses-finding","name":"Uses","description":"Uses.","questions":[{"text":"What limited industrial and space uses does polonium have, and how are sources controlled?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits radioactive sources?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"hazards","name":"Hazards","description":"Hazards.","findings":[{"id":"hazards-finding","name":"Hazards","description":"Hazards.","questions":[{"text":"What do radiation protection authorities say about polonium toxicity and exposure?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is a suspected exposure present now, requiring emergency and radiation authorities?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History and cases.","layers":[{"id":"discovery","name":"Discovery","description":"Discovery.","findings":[{"id":"discovery-finding","name":"Discovery","description":"Discovery.","questions":[{"text":"How did the Curies discover polonium, and why was it named after Poland?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"cases","name":"Cases","description":"Notable cases.","findings":[{"id":"cases-finding","name":"Cases","description":"Cases.","questions":[{"text":"Which documented poisoning cases involved polonium, as established by inquiries and courts, with findings attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation attributed and free of operational detail?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"Teaching.","layers":[{"id":"teach","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","findings":[{"id":"teach-finding","name":"Teach","description":"Teaching.","questions":[{"text":"How can polonium illustrate radioactivity and the history of science?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which misconceptions arise?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"environment","name":"Environment","description":"Environmental polonium.","findings":[{"id":"environment-finding","name":"Environment","description":"Environment.","questions":[{"text":"How does polonium occur in the environment and in tobacco smoke, according to research?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits environmental radioactivity?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain polonium's discovery, place in the periodic table and history with sources.","State that it is extremely hazardous and regulated, and point to radiation protection authorities."],"mustNot":["Give any information on acquiring, producing, concentrating or handling polonium.","Assist in using any radioactive material to harm a person.","Describe exposure scenarios or doses in a way that could guide a poisoning.","Speculate about named people being poisoned without published findings."],"requiresHuman":["Any request involving the possession, transport or disposal of a radioactive source."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Polonium has been used to murder; information about it must not serve harm.","Radiation incidents frighten and harm the public and responders."],"affectedParties":["Potential victims","Emergency responders","The public"]},"owners":{"steward":"The licensed holder of a source; nuclear regulators control possession.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["National registers of licensed radioactive sources"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q104567","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q19591","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"post-transition metal","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"group 16","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"iridium","type":"related","note":"another element entry"},{"target":"nuclear fission","type":"related","note":"radioactivity and nuclear science"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.polonium","Wikidata: Q979 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q979)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Mass density: Approximately 9.2 g/cm3 - This approximate value describes solid alpha polonium near room temperature.","Melting temperature: Approximately 254 degree Celsius - This approximate value describes the solid-to-liquid transition near atmospheric pressure."]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Atomic number eighty-four","Intense alpha emitter","Bismuth and tellurium are neighbouring elements","A silvery metal, rarely seen because of its radioactivity."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the element and isotopes","describe uses and hazards","describe history","decline acquisition or handling detail"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Providing acquisition or handling detail, which must be declined","Severe radiation poisoning","Confusing polonium with other elements"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Radiation protection and radioactive materials law","Controls on radioactive sources","Chemical safety regulations"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Element eighty-four, a radioactive metal.","polonium-210","polonium-209 and other isotopes","polonium in uranium decay chains","polonium in static eliminators","polonium as a radioisotope heat source"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q979: polonium","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q979","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Polonium","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polonium","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should polonium-210 be a separate entry?","How should radiation authorities be linked?","How should the history of its discovery be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q979/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q979/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T03:29:30Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:33+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}