The Element Cesium
Cesium was discovered in 1860 by R. Bunsen using the process of spectroanalysis ( spectroanalysis is the chemical analysis of a mixture of substances or of a complex substance by study of a spectra). Cesium is the heaviest of all alkali metals because of it�s atomic weight. Cesium�s description, however, seemingly contradicts this statement because it is described as, � A soft, light, very low-melting metal, and is the most reactive of all the elements� (Sittig p. 446). Before 1958, little was known about Cesium because of it�s relative unavailability in the chemical market; Cesium compounds were very expensive until lithium by- products were found to have trace amounts of isolatable ...
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violently with organic compounds, it is considered the most reactive of Alkali metals. There are four principle compounds that make up Cesium�s structure: Cesium Chloride, Cesium Fluoride, Cesium Carbonate, and Cesium Sulfate. The most important compound is Chloride, which is used as a constituent of getter mixtures of vacuum tubes. Cesium is identified qualitatively by it�s blue flame. When determining quantitative amount of Cesium, the fact that Cesium forms an extremely insoluble alum is a major factor.
Cesium is not very abundant on in the earth�s crust- only around seven parts per million . This does, however, place Cesium concentration above that of Beryllium, Arsenic, Uranium, and Boron in abundance. Trace amounts of Cesium have been detected in sea water, plant/animal organisms, mineral water, and soil. Cesium is not considered a pure halide form (like Potassium or Sodium), but a Cesium -rich mineral, pollucite, can be found in Elba, South Africa; Maine and South Dakota, ...
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The Element Cesium. (2005, September 19). Retrieved December 1, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Element-Cesium/33525
"The Element Cesium." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 19 Sep. 2005. Web. 1 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Element-Cesium/33525>
"The Element Cesium." Essayworld.com. September 19, 2005. Accessed December 1, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Element-Cesium/33525.
"The Element Cesium." Essayworld.com. September 19, 2005. Accessed December 1, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Element-Cesium/33525.
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