radium bromide

Radium bromide is a highly radioactive inorganic salt ($RaBr_2$) that served as one of the earliest radiopharmaceuticals used in the history of oncology and nuclear medicine. Discovered and isolated by Marie and Pierre Curie, it was the primary form in which radium was distributed for medical and scientific research in the early 20th century. The compound functions as a source of ionizing radiation, emitting alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays through the decay of the radium isotope (primarily $^{226}Ra$) and its daughter products. Historically, it was employed in 'radium therapy' for the treatment of various malignancies, including rodent ulcers (basal cell carcinomas) and other accessible tumors, via topical applicators, interstitial needles, or experimental intravenous injections. Due to its long half-life and the systemic toxicity of radium (which acts as a bone-seeker), it has been superseded in modern medicine by more targeted isotopes with shorter half-lives, such as radium-223 dichloride.

Brand names

Radium Bromatum

Other names

radium dibromideRaBr2RaBr-2RaBr 2