Thorium is the most difficult to source element Luciteria carries. In fact, unlike any of our other items and despite its high cost what little we manage to get our hands on typically sells out quickly, leaving it more or less in a permanent “sold out” state.

The poor man’s alternative, for the collector at least, has been to get a sample of the much more easily found thorium dioxide or specialty welding rods that have a small percentage of thorium alloyed in. To ease the long wait and punch to the wallet when it comes to getting pure metallic thorium we now add this colorful stand-in which is both plentiful and affordable.

So, wait, you might wonder, why not take this powder and use it to make thorium metal? It’s not like it hadn’t occurred to us. The chemistry of thorium is such that it’s quite difficult to separate it from oxygen. Normally, a lab presented with this problem simply reaches for another element that is “hungrier” for oxygen as a sacrificial lamb leaving the target nice and shiny and clean all over.

On the surface, this should also be possible with thorium which is less reactive chemically than something like cesium or barium - two elements that are remarkably sensitive to oxygen - but there is the added dimension here that the necessary reactions have to take place at a temperature sufficiently high to melt these chemicals. And here’s the critical problem because thorium’s melting point is so high that ordinary furnaces can’t melt it. On top of that there’s the issue of radioactivity which means that even if a lab already has one of these specialty furnaces they’re going to be very reluctant to risk tainting it for other work. Bottom line: very few have the ability to get the job done.

Finally, there’s the cost of metallic thorium. Even tiny amounts are often beyond the budget of many collectors. For this reason, compounds like this thorium chromate make for a good alternative.

When measured directly by a dosimeter, each ampule emits approximately 0.75 μSv/hr. The tube that it ships in cuts this down to 0.4μSv. For comparison, note that average background radiation is generally around 0.1-0.4μSv/hr (1.5-3mSv/yr).

For our international customers: note that radioactive materials might be regulated in your country. Please check with your postal laws prior to ordering this item.