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Nuclear & Radiochemistry

Curie

The older unit of radioactivity, defined as the activity of one gram of radium-226.

Formula / equation 1 Ci = 3.7 × 10¹⁰ Bq
Unit Ci

In depth

Named after Marie and Pierre Curie, the unit is large and inconveniently tied to a specific substance, so it has been superseded by the becquerel. It still appears in older literature and in some medical and industrial contexts.

Examples in the real world

A typical hospital cobalt-60 therapy source rated at several thousand curies.