Caesium
Caesium is a soft metal which is often liquid at room temperature due to its relatively low melting point (28.5°C). It is an extremely reactive metal, reacting violently in contact with water and being rapidly attacked in air. As with other alkaline group metals, caesium can be prepared by electrolysis of the fused halides but, in addition, it can also be prepared by heating the chloride with calcium and distilling out the molten metal. As a photosensitor, caesium has a peak response at 800nm in the infrared, both thermal- and photo-emission being high. Alloys of caesium with antimony, gallium, indium and thorium are generally photosensitive. Caesium is also used in atomic clocks, a standard measure of time, based on the caesium ion resonance of 9,192,631,770 Hz.
- Symbol
- Cs
- Discovered
- 1860 by R. Bunsen and G. R. Kirchoff in Heidelberg, Germany.
- Abundance
- 7 ppm of Earth's crust.
| Atomic number | 55 | Clip | |
| Atomic / Molecular Weight | 132.9054 | gmol-1 | Clip |
| Density | 1900 | kgm-3 | Clip |
| Crystal Structure | bcc | Clip | |
| Lattice constant | 614 | fm | Clip |
| Melting Point | 301.56 | K | Clip |
| Boiling Point | 959 | K | Clip |
| Specific heat capacity | 234 | Jkg-1K-1 | Clip |
| Thermal conductivity | 36 | Wm-1K-1 | Clip |
| Bulk Modulus of Rigidity | 1600000000 | Nm-2 | Clip |
| Electromotive Series | 3.02 | V | Clip |
paste all data into clipboardSee also: Bunsen, Robert Wilhelm, Caesium Bromide, Caesium Chloride, Caesium Fluoride, Caesium Hydride, Caesium Iodide, Caesium Oxide, Caesium Peroxide, Caesium Sulphide, Caesium Superoxide, Periodic Table.
Subjects: Chemistry