| The more you know about thorium, the friendlier it looks. Did you know that doctors once had patients ingest thorium, or that it was once widely used to light up streets and homes? |  |
| Thorium was discovered by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who was the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences secretary from 1818 to 1848. The Academy is responsible for the Nobel prize in physics and chemistry. Since there is virtually nothing taught about thorium energy, most supporters begin with little or no opinion about the benefits of thorium. They're just searching to solv the problem of affordable, safe and sustainable energy, and after looking at a wide range of possible sources, eventually becoming immersed in thorium energy and its many transformative advantages. There have been many interesting ways thorium has been put to use for human benefit since its discovery. Ironically, it turns out that thorium was once widely used in lamps to light streets and homes. This was because it has the highest melting point of all oxides and was therefore an excellent light emitting material for gas lanterns. In the 1930's thorium was also used to improve x-ray images by being ingested by patients as a contrast agent for x-ray imaging. Today, IThEO is committed to making thorium an energy source for not just lighting streets and homes as it helped to do at the turn of the 20th century, but for all electrical power uses people have come to rely on for comfortable, productive, progressive lives. To learn more about thorium's properties head over to the Royal Society of Chemistry website. On the very bottom to the left you'll find thorium (Th). Click on the Th symbol to hear the story of thorium. Chemistry in its Elements, Royal Society of Chemistry |