What is Cesium?
What is implied by the term Cesium? Cesium (Cs) is a compound element with atomic number 55 in the periodic table found by Gustov Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen in the year 1860. This name has been derived from a Latin word Caesius which means sky blue, as it ignites with blue fire.
This silvery metal with a golden cast is the most reactive and out of all the metals, one of the softest. The melting point of Cesium is at 28.4 °C (83.1 °F), directly above room temperature. It is about half as abundant as lead and multiple times (70) as abundant as silver. Cesium prevails in minute amounts (7 parts for every million) in Earth's crust in the minerals pollucite, rhodizite, and lepidolite.
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Cesium Uses
The following points highlight the applications or uses of the Cesium:
Cesium formate-based drilling liquids are widely utilized in the extractive oil industry.
It is utilized in thermionic generators, which convert heat energy into electrical energy.
As the thickness of Cesium is high, cesium chloride, cesium sulfate are generally utilized in molecular biology.
Cesium is utilized in producing optical glasses and other optical instruments. It is used to expel oxygen from lights and vacuum tubes.
Cesium's extraordinary use is that it is utilized in the production of the most exact atomic clock. It is also known as a cesium clock.
Properties of Cesium
The properties of Cesium are explained by dividing them into two main categories. These are:
Physical Properties.
Chemical Properties.
These will be explained one by one as follows:
Physical Properties of Cesium
The physical properties of Cesium are as follows:
It is a delicate, silvery- gold alkali element. These are immediately attacked via air and respond violently with water.
It is an incredibly unique element and assessed that only three parts for every million are accessible in the Earth's Crust.
It is found in minerals like pollucite and lepidolite. Erosion and shrinking of rocks are the common reasons for which they prevail in the environment.
Other Properties can be Made More Transparent with the Help of the Following Chart:
Chemical Properties of Cesium
As backed up by physical properties, Cesium also depicts various chemical properties. These properties marked their presence in the environment. The following points highlight the chemical features of Cesium:
The total number of electrons i.e., Atomic Number in the Cesium is 55
As per the periodic table, Atomic Symbol of the Cesium is Cs
An average mass or the Atomic weight of the Cesium is 132.90
At room temperature, Cesium is robust in nature.
The melting point of the Cesium is 83.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
The boiling point of the Cesium is 1240 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chemical Properties can be Glimpsed with the Help of the Following Chart:
Interesting Facts about Cesium
There are specific interesting facts about the Cesium. These are:
They are not harmful to life and also don’t have any biological importance.
There are rarest chances to occur Cesium after getting into contact with radioactive. A person might experience the damage of cells due to the harmful effects of radiation.
Cesium is a salt metal, alongside lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and francium. Alkali metals are profoundly reactive, have one electron in their outer shell, and don't happen openly in nature.
Cesium is unimaginably precise at timekeeping and is utilized in atomic clocks. The exact meaning for a second is the time it takes for the cesium atom to vibrate 9,192,631,770 times between energy levels.
Cesium-based atomic clocks lose one second for every 100 million years.
Cesium is one of four metals that are fluid at or close to room temperature; the others are mercury with the melting point of minus 37.9 F, or minus 38.8 C, gallium, and francium.
As per Chemicool, the abundance of Cesium in Earth's outside layer is around 3 parts for every million by weight, and in the nearby solar system 8 parts for each billion by weight.
As per the Periodic Table, Cesium is the 50th most common element in Earth's crust.
As Cesium is highly reactive, it combines different elements very quickly, particularly oxygen and various gasses and nonmetals, as indicated by Encyclopedia Britannica.
There are two ways of producing radioactive isotopes of the Cesium. The first one is the fission of uranium in fuel rods in nuclear power plants and second by the explosion of nuclear weapons.
FAQs on Cesium
1. What are the fundamental properties of the element Cesium?
Cesium is an alkali metal with the following fundamental properties:
- Atomic Number: 55
- Atomic Symbol: Cs
- Atomic Weight: Approximately 132.90 u
- Appearance: A soft, silvery-gold metal that is one of the few metals to be liquid at or near room temperature.
- Nature: It is extremely reactive and pyrophoric, meaning it can ignite spontaneously when exposed to air.
2. Where is Cesium located in the periodic table and what does its position signify?
Cesium is located in Group 1 and Period 6 of the periodic table. Its position is significant because:
- Group 1 (Alkali Metals): This indicates it has a single valence electron in its outermost shell. This electron is easily lost, making Cesium the most electropositive and most reactive of all the stable alkali metals.
- Period 6: Being in the sixth period means it has a very large atomic radius. The single valence electron is far from the nucleus, resulting in a very low ionization energy, which further explains its high reactivity.
3. What are the most important modern applications of Cesium?
The most important application of Cesium is in atomic clocks, which provide the standard for timekeeping worldwide. Other significant uses include:
- Photoelectric Cells: Cesium is used on the cathodes of photoelectric cells because it readily emits electrons when struck by light.
- Catalysis: It is used as a promoter in catalysts for various chemical reactions, such as the synthesis of ammonia.
- Vacuum Tubes: In older technology, it was used as a 'getter' to remove any remaining traces of oxygen from vacuum tubes due to its high reactivity.
4. Why is Cesium so highly reactive, especially with water?
Cesium's extreme reactivity is a direct result of its atomic structure. As the largest stable alkali metal, its single outermost electron is very far from the positively charged nucleus. This results in the lowest ionization energy of any stable element. It requires very little energy to remove this electron to form a Cs⁺ ion. When it comes into contact with water, this reaction is explosive because it proceeds so rapidly, releasing a large amount of energy and hydrogen gas, which often ignites.
5. How does Cesium's unique atomic structure make it perfect for atomic clocks?
The suitability of Cesium for atomic clocks stems from the incredible consistency of its atomic behavior. The international definition of a second is based on the Cesium-133 atom. A second is precisely defined as the time it takes for 9,192,631,770 cycles of microwave radiation to be absorbed by a Cesium-133 atom as it transitions between two specific, extremely stable energy levels (hyperfine levels) in its ground state. This 'atomic vibration' is exceptionally regular, making it a near-perfect timekeeping standard.
6. What is the difference in health risks between stable Cesium and its radioactive isotope, Cesium-137?
There is a critical difference in risk. Stable, non-radioactive Cesium has very low chemical toxicity and poses minimal health risk to humans. The primary concern is with its radioactive isotope, Cesium-137, which is a byproduct of nuclear fission. The danger from Cesium-137 comes from the ionizing radiation it emits, particularly gamma rays. If ingested or inhaled, it can distribute throughout the body's soft tissues, damaging cells and increasing the long-term risk of cancer.
7. Why does Cesium have such a low melting point compared to other metals?
Cesium has a very low melting point of just 28.5°C (83.3°F), making it liquid near room temperature. This unusual property is due to its weak metallic bonding. As a very large atom with only one valence electron contributing to the 'sea of electrons' that holds the metal together, the attractive forces between the Cesium atoms are significantly weaker than in other metals. Consequently, only a small amount of thermal energy is needed to overcome these forces and transition the element from a solid to a liquid.
