what is francium

Francium is a radioactive chemical element with atomic number 87, and it belongs to Group 1, the alkali metals.

Quick Scoop

• Symbol: Fr.

• It is extremely rare in nature and exists only in tiny, short-lived amounts.

• The longest-lived isotope is francium-223, with a half-life of about 22 minutes.

• Because it decays so quickly, francium has no practical uses outside scientific research.

• It was discovered in 1939 by Marguerite Perey, and the name comes from France.

What it is like

Francium behaves like a typical alkali metal in chemistry, meaning it would be very reactive and likely forms a +1 oxidation state. In practice, though, it is so scarce and unstable that scientists can only study it indirectly or in very tiny amounts.

One-line version

Francium is the heaviest alkali metal, a highly radioactive and extremely rare element that exists only briefly before decaying.

TL;DR: Francium is a super-rare radioactive element, atomic number 87, with no real-world uses because it disappears almost as soon as it forms.