This salt is a highly radioactive, amorphous,[4] white powder that has potential applications in medicine.

[5][2] It is notable for forming disordered crystals at room temperature and for being approximately 10 times more soluble than its lighter congener barium carbonate.

Moreover, radium is the only alkaline-earth metal which forms disordered crystals in its carbonate phase.

Even though radium carbonate has very low solubility in water, it is soluble in dilute mineral acids and concentrated ammonium carbonate.

[6] Radium carbonate can be produced by dissolving radium sulfate at elevated temperatures in concentrated sodium carbonate and subsequent removal of supernatant:[7] Because of the very low solubility of RaCO3, it will form a white precipitate.