h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

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Entry: Polonium - A18299820
Author: Big Al - Keeper of Mnemonics; Creator of the renowned glowing pickle. Still getting accustomed to my new job. - U723247

For ease of loading Entry...

Alex. Done that

This is great, BigAl. Love the Russian comments too, reminds me of the Paul McCartney entry I'm currently subbing "Heather Mills McCartney states that she has no interest in a financial settlement"

Haven't got a clue about all the science stuff but thank you for writing the entry, and great to see you back in PR


GB

has anybody seen those new anti-smoking adds on brit TV

They basically are interviews between and interviewer and various chemists / scientists about precautions they use when handling various chemicals

Then the point is made that these dangerous chemicals are in cig smoke.

The Polonium add was withdrawn cause the the recent posioning

"...any chance of including the full series as well, perhaps in a footnote?"

This would've meant inserting a horrible table, so I've made a link to an external site which shows the complete chain

The mention of its presence in tobacco smoke caught my attention too - I think you ought to go ahead and incorporate your explanation in PR that it's a result of phosphate fertilizers - otherwise many readers will be left wondering. (I guess it goes to show that there's no product so bad for you that it can't be made worse)

'I think you ought to go ahead and incorporate your explanation in PR that it's a result of phosphate fertili'

Done that

"The disintegration of polonium yields 206Pb"

It would be quite a feat if every single one of the 34 isotopes disintegrated to produce 206Pb - I assume you mean 210Po disintegrates to 206Pb.

Oops, yes. I'll deal with that.

This looks like an excellent piece of work. Remarkably large parts of it make sense even to me, and I'm a complete and utter B.A. student with no specialised knowledge of chemistry.

The only thing I can see that might be improved is in the last section, where you talk about: '...the death of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian security officer, in November 2006. Following his death at the end of November 2006...' I think we only need to be told when he died once, so I'd lose that '...in November 2006'.

Otherwise, though, great stuff! I particularly like the bit about how "...bombardment on the capillary walls can cause it to 'craze' and become very fragile." I find that often has much the same effect on me.

I've 'lost' the second mention of November 2006.

What - you mean we only have one left now? What if we lose that one too?

Al!

I'm sure we won't lose the other one, Alex. Not unless it chooses the wrong sushi bar to visit for a snack.

That's bad taste, isn't it...

But....I thought it was tasteless

Stop it, you're killing me

That's what he said when the waiter offered dessert wasn't it?

I'll be quiet now