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cesium [Cs]
From the Latin caesius meaning heavenly blue. Discovered in 1860 by German chemists Robert Bunsen & Gustav Kirchhoff.
Occurrence:
- primarily obtained from the mineral pollucite
Characteristics:
1) silver-white-gold soft ductile element of the alkali metal group
2) the most electropositive element known
3) liquid at room temperature
4) reacts explosively with cold water
5) reacts with ice at temperatures above -116 degrees C
6) two bright blue lines in its spectrum
7) toxic
Uses:
1) photoelectric cells
2) catalyst
3) as a 'getter' in radiation monitoring equipment
4) atomic clocks
Laboratory:
- cesium in hair
- cesium in erythrocytes
- cesium in blood
- cesium in serum/plasma
- cesium in urine
Related
Cs+
periodic table
General
alkali metal
trace element
Properties
SIZE: AW = 132.9054
atomic number
VALUE: 55
VALENCE: XE 6S1
Database Correlations
PUBCHEM cid=5354618
References
- Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, Miriam-
Webster Inc. Springfield, MA 1990
- Chemical & Engineering News, Sept 8, 2003