Element

Caesium Element Properties and Information

September 10, 2022

Caesium Element Properties and Information

Caesium is 55^th element on the periodic table. Elements are arranged in the periodic table on the basis of the atomic number. Atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Caesium has an atomic number of 55. It is located in the Group 1 and Period 6 of the periodic table of elements. It is denoted by Cs. The name is derived from the Latin word ‘Caesius’ which means Sky-Blue.

Caesium was almost discovered by Carl Plattner when he was analyzing a mineral called pollucite. He mistook caesium to be sodium and potassium. Caesium was eventually discovered by Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen in 1860 but they were not able to obtain it in metallic form. The metal was separated for the first time by Carl Theodor Setterberg.

Caesium is found in minerals; pollucite and lepidolite. It is a relatively rare element and makes up 3 ppm of Earth’s crust.

Physical Properties

Caesium is a soft metal which shines in gold colour.
The atomic mass of caesium is 132.9
The melting point of caesium is 28.4°C
The boiling point of caesium is 669°C
The density of caesium is 1900 in S.I. units at 20°C
Caesium is softest among all metals which are solid at room temperature.
Caesium has 39 isotopes. Among them, the only stable isotope is caesium-139.

Chemical Properties

Caesium is pyrophyric in nature, which means that it spontaneously ignites in air.
Caesium is highly reactive. It reacts explosively with water even at low temperatures. It even reacts with ice whose temperature is as low as -116°C.
Caesium can only be handled under inert atmosphere.
Caesium forms variety of compounds including variety of halides and oxides.

Methods of Production

From Pollucite: The mining and refining of pollucite is a selective process hence it is done on a smaller scale. The ore is crushed, hand-sorted, and then grounded. The caesium is extracted from pollucite mainly by acid digestion. The grounded ore is dissolved in strong acids which leads to formation of caesium double salts. This precipitated double salt is then decomposed and the water is evaporated to obtain pure caesium chloride.

Relevance in Chemical and Related Industries

Petroleum exploration: The largest use of caesium is as a drilling fluid for extractive oil and petroleum industry. The main function of drilling fluids is to lubricate drill bits. It also helps bring rock cuttings to the surface and to maintain pressure on the formation during drilling of the well.

Relevance in Other Industries

Atomic-clocks: They use the electromagnetic transition in the hyperfine structure of caesium-133 atoms as the reference point.
Molecular Biology: High density caesium compound solutions such as caesium chloride, caesium sulfate, etc are used in density gradient ultracentrifugation.
Nuclear application: Caesium-137 is used as a gamma emitter in industrial applications. Its advantages are that it has a half-life of 30 years and it has barium-137 as a stable end product.

Health Effects on Exposure

Radioactivity: If a person comes in contact with a radioactive isotope of caesium then cell-damage may occur. Due to this, nausea, vomiting, and bleeding may occur. Long exposure can even cause coma or death.