Cesium chloride (CsCl) and cesium nitrate (CsNO 3) are cesium's most common compounds and are primarily used in the production of other chemicals. Cesium hydroxide is the strongest base known and will attack glass. Since it is easily ionized and has a high mass, cesium ions may one day be used as a propellant in ion engines on spacecraft.Ĭesium reacts violently with water and ice, forming cesium hydroxide (CsOH). Cesium is also used in atomic clocks, in photoelectric cells and as a catalyst in the hydrogenation of certain organic compounds. Cesium readily combines with oxygen and is used as a getter, a material that combines with and removes trace gases from vacuum tubes. Cesium is recovered from cesium azide by heating it.Ĭesium has the second lowest melting point of all metallic elements, which limits its uses. Metallic cesium is too reactive to easily handle and is usually sold in the form of cesium azide (CsN 3). To obtain pure cesium, cesium and rubidium ores are crushed and heated with sodium metal to 650☌, forming an alloy that can then be separated with a process known as fractional distillation. Caesium-137 is a radioisotope commonly used as a gamma-emitter in. Symbol: Cs Atomic Number: 55 Atomic Mass: 132.90546 amu Melting Point: 28.5 C (301.65 K, 83.3 F) Boiling Point: 678.4 C (951.55005 K, 1253. Obtaining pure cesium is difficult since cesium ores are frequently contaminated with rubidium, an element that is chemically similar to cesium. Caesium has a rather low boiling point, 641 C, the lowest of all metals other than mercury. Today, cesium is primarily obtained from the mineral pollucite (CsAlSi 2O 6). They named cesium after the blue lines they observed in its spectrum. Long exposure can even cause coma or death.Cesium was discovered by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff, German chemists, in 1860 through the spectroscopic analysis of Durkheim mineral water. Due to this, nausea, vomiting, and bleeding may occur. Radioactivity: If a person comes in contact with a radioactive isotope of caesium then cell-damage may occur. Its advantages are that it has a half-life of 30 years and it has barium-137 as a stable end product. Nuclear application: Caesium-137 is used as a gamma emitter in industrial applications.Molecular Biology: High density caesium compound solutions such as caesium chloride, caesium sulfate, etc are used in density gradient ultracentrifugation.Atomic-clocks: They use the electromagnetic transition in the hyperfine structure of caesium-133 atoms as the reference point.It also helps bring rock cuttings to the surface and to maintain pressure on the formation during drilling of the well. Pollucite (Cs 4 Al 4 Si 9 O 26 H 2 O) is a cesium-rich mineral resembling quartz. Cesium occurs in minute quantities (7 parts per million) in Earth’s crust in the minerals pollucite, rhodizite, and lepidolite. It is about half as abundant as lead and 70 times as abundant as silver. The main function of drilling fluids is to lubricate drill bits. It melts at 28.4 C (83.1 F), just above room temperature. Petroleum exploration: The largest use of caesium is as a drilling fluid for extractive oil and petroleum industry. Relevance in Chemical and Related Industries It was discovered in 1860 by German chemists Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff when they were analyzing the spectrum of. Related subjects: Chemical elements Melting point, 301.59 K (28.44 C, 83.19 F) Boiling point, 944 K (671 C, 1240 F). This precipitated double salt is then decomposed and the water is evaporated to obtain pure caesium chloride. History Cesium was the first element to be discovered with a spectroscope. The grounded ore is dissolved in strong acids which leads to formation of caesium double salts. The caesium is extracted from pollucite mainly by acid digestion. The ore is crushed, hand-sorted, and then grounded. Caesium forms variety of compounds including variety of halides and oxides.įrom Pollucite: The mining and refining of pollucite is a selective process hence it is done on a smaller scale.Caesium can only be handled under inert atmosphere.It even reacts with ice whose temperature is as low as -116☌. It reacts explosively with water even at low temperatures. Caesium is pyrophyric in nature, which means that it spontaneously ignites in air.Among them, the only stable isotope is caesium-139. It can be easily pulled into wires and has a low melting point of 28.4 degrees Celsius. Caesium is softest among all metals which are solid at room temperature. Cesium is a soft metal that is very ductile.The density of caesium is 1900 in S.I.Caesium is a soft metal which shines in gold colour.It is a relatively rare element and makes up 3 ppm of Earth’s crust. Caesium is found in minerals pollucite and lepidolite.
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