Page "Protactinium" Paragraph 1

Protactinium was first identified in 1913 by Kasimir Fajans and Oswald Helmuth Göhring and named brevium because of the short half-life of the specific isotope studied, namely protactinium-234.

A more stable isotope (< sup > 231 </ sup > Pa ) of protactinium was discovered in 1917 / 18 by Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner, and they choose the name proto-actinium, but then the IUPAC named it finally protactinium in 1949 and confirmed Hahn and Meitner as discoverers.

The new name meant " parent of actinium " and reflected the fact that actinium is a product of radioactive decay of protactinium.