noun
- Plural of ionium; a radioactive isotope of thorium (thorium-230) that occurs naturally in uranium ores and seawater.
Usage: technical; chemistry; rare in modern usage; largely replaced by the term thorium-230
Examples
- Ioniums were discovered in uranium minerals during early radioactivity research.
- The presence of ioniums in seawater samples helped scientists understand radioactive decay chains.
- Geologists use ioniums to date certain geological formations.
- Ioniums decay to radium through a series of nuclear transformations.