Why can't we react francium with water?

2 Answers
anor277
Jan 17, 2017

We can't?

Explanation:

Of course francium metal reacts with water with ALACRITY:

#Fr(s) + H_2O(l) rarr Fr^+ + HO^(-) + 1/2H_2(g)uarr#

#""^87Fr# is an unstable isotope, short-lived and highly expensive, and would be only available in milligram quantitities. Its reaction with water would be rapid and quantitative.

Simon Moore
Jan 17, 2017

You would never be able to gather enough together to form a "piece" of Francium, let alone put it in water.....

Explanation:

Francium is an extremely unstable element. It occurs as a number of isotopes, but even the most stable one (#Fr_223#) has a half life of about 20 minutes!

#Fr_223# can be found in nature in certain radioactive ores, such as uranium ore. Within these, #Fr_223# is continually formed by radioactive decay and subsequently decays itself.

If you take the entire earth's crust, the most #Fr_223# you will ever find in existence at any one time is less than 50 g! So its pretty difficult to gather enough together to drop it into water!

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