Caesium

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Caesium

Caesium or cesium is the chemical element

Chemical element

A chemical element is a type of atom that is distinguished by its atomic number; that is, by the number of protons in its atomic nucleus. The term is also used to refer to a pure chemical Chemical substance composed of atoms with the same number of protons....
with the symbol Cs and atomic number

Atomic number

In chemistry and physics, the atomic number is the number of protons found in the atomic nucleus of an atom. It is conventionally represented by the symbol Z....
55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal

Alkali metal

The alkali metals are a chemical series of chemical elements comprising Periodic table group of the periodic table: lithium , sodium , potassium , rubidium , caesium , and francium ....
with a melting point of , which makes it one of only five metals that are liquid at or near room temperature

Room temperature

Room temperature is a common term to denote a certain temperature within enclosed space at which humans are accustomed.Room temperature is thus often indicated by general human comfort, with the common range of 10celsius to 23?C , though climate may acclimatize people to higher or lower temperatures....
. Caesium is most notably used in atomic clock

Atomic clock

An atomic clock is a type of clock that uses an atomic resonance frequency standard as its timekeeping element. They are the most accurate time and frequency standards known, and are used as primary standards for international Time dissemination, and to control the frequency of television broadcasts and GPS satellite signals....
s.

Caesium is the international spelling standardized by the IUPAC, but in the United States the spelling cesium is more common.

emission spectrum

Emission spectrum

The emission spectrum of an Chemical element or Chemical compound is the relative intensity of electromagnetic radiation of each frequency Emission by atoms or molecules of that element or compound when they are excited....
of caesium has two bright lines in the blue area of the spectrum along with several other lines in the red, yellow, and green areas.

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Characteristics

The emission spectrum

Emission spectrum

Ionization potential

The ionization potential, ionization energy or EI of an atom or molecule is the energy required to remove one mole of electrons from one mole of gaseous atoms or ions....
of the chemical element

Chemical element

Francium

Francium , formerly known as Mendeleev's predicted elements-caesium and actinium K, is a chemical element that has the symbol Fr and atomic number 87....
is the least common alkali metal but it has no stable isotopes. Only an estimated 30 grams exist in the entire Earth's crust

Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
at one time.).

Caesium, gallium

Gallium

Gallium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Elemental gallium does not occur in nature, but as the Ga salt, in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores....
, francium

Francium

Francium , formerly known as Mendeleev's predicted elements-caesium and actinium K, is a chemical element that has the symbol Fr and atomic number 87....
, rubidium

Rubidium

Rubidium is a chemical element with the symbol Rb and atomic number 37. Rb is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali metal group....
, and mercury

Mercury (element)

Mercury , also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum , is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. A heavy, silvery d-block metal, mercury is one of six elements that are liquid at or near room temperature and pressure....
are the only pure metals liquid at or near room temperature. (Some sodium-potassium alloys

NaK

NaK is a sodium - potassium alloy usually liquid at room temperature. Various commercial grades are available. NaK is highly reactive with air or water and must be handled with special precautions....
are also liquid at room temperature.) Caesium reacts explosively in cold water

Water (molecule)

File:Blue-water-pool.jpgWater is the most abundant molecule on Earth's surface, constituting about 70% of the Earth's surface in liquid, solid, and gaseous states....
and also reacts with ice at temperatures above , 157 K).

Caesium hydroxide

Caesium hydroxide

Caesium hydroxide is a chemical compound consisting of an atom of caesium and a hydroxide group . It is a powerful base , much like other alkali hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide....
(CsOH) is a very strong base

Base (chemistry)

In chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept protons. A base is also often referred to as an alkali if OH- ions are involved....
and will rapidly etch the surface of glass

Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
. CsOH is often stated to be the "strongest base", but in fact many compounds such as n-butyllithium

N-Butyllithium

n-Butyllithium is the most prominent organolithium reagent. It enjoys wide use as a polymerisation initiator in the production of elastomers such as polybutadiene or Styrene-butadiene....
and sodium amide

Sodium amide

Sodium amide, commonly called sodamide, is the chemical compound with the chemical formula NaNH2. This solid, which is dangerously reactive toward water, is white when pure, but commercial samples are typically gray due to the presence of small quantities of metallic iron from the manufacturing process....
, which are not classic hydroxide bases, are stronger.

Applications

Probably the most widespread use of caesium today is in caesium formate-based drilling fluid

Drilling fluid

Drilling a very deep hole is a very costly business. The hole size is kept very small as the drilled depth increases because it is to cased and cemented after wards....
s for the oil industry. The high density of the caesium formate brine (up to 2.3 sg

Specific gravity

Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and pressure, typically at 4?C and , making it a dimensionless quantity ....
), coupled with the relatively benign nature of ¹³³Cs, reduces the requirement for toxic high-density suspended solids in the drilling fluid, which is a significant technological, engineering and environmental advantage.

Caesium is also used in atomic clock

Atomic clock

An atomic clock is a type of clock that uses an atomic resonance frequency standard as its timekeeping element. They are the most accurate time and frequency standards known, and are used as primary standards for international Time dissemination, and to control the frequency of television broadcasts and GPS satellite signals....
s, which are accurate to seconds over many thousands of years. Since 1967, the International System of Measurements

Si, si, or SI may refer to :...
has based its unit of time

Time

Time is a component of the measurement used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify the motions of objects....
, the second

Second

The second , sometimes abbreviated sec., is the name of a units of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units SI base unit of time....
, on the properties of caesium. The International System of Units

International System of Units

The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system devised around the convenience of the number ten....
(SI) defines the second

Second

The second , sometimes abbreviated sec., is the name of a units of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units SI base unit of time....
as 9,192,631,770 cycles of the radiation

Radioactive decay

Radioactive decay is the process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting ionizing particles and radiation. This decay, or loss of energy, results in an atom of one type, called the parent nuclide transforming to an atom of a different type, called the daughter nuclide....
, which corresponds to the transition between two hyperfine

Hyperfine structure

The term hyperfine structure refers to a collection of different effects leading to small shifts and splittings in the energy levels of atoms, molecules and ions....
energy level

Energy level

A Quantum mechanics system or particle that is Bound state, confined spatially, can only take on certain discrete values of energy, as opposed to Classical mechanics particles, which can have any energy....
s of the ground state of the ¹³³Cs atom

Atom

|-! bgcolor=gray | Properties|-||}The atom is a basic unit of matter consisting of a dense, central atomic nucleus surrounded by a electron cloud of electric charge electrons....
.

¹³⁴Cs has been used in hydrology
Hydrology

Hydrology is the study of the movement, distribution, and quality of water throughout the Earth, and thus addresses both the hydrologic cycle and water resources....
as a measure of caesium output by the nuclear power
Nuclear power

Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nucleus via controlled nuclear reactions. The only method in use today is through nuclear fission, though other methods might one day include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay ....
industry. This isotope
Isotope

Isotopes are any of the different types of atoms of the same chemical element, each having a different atomic mass . Isotopes of an element have atomic nucleus with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutron....
is used because, while it is less prevalent than either ¹³³Cs or ¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs can be produced solely by nuclear reactions. ¹³⁵Cs has also been used in this function.
Like other elements of group 1, caesium has a great affinity for oxygen
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
and is used as a "getter
Getter

Getters are reactive materials used for removing traces of gas from vacuum systems."Flashed getters" are prepared by arranging a reservoir of a volatile and reactive material inside the vacuum system; once the system is sealed, the material is heated, usually by induction heating and evaporates, reacting with residual gas, and deposit...
" in vacuum tube
Vacuum tube

In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , thermionic valve, or just valve is a device used to amplifier, switch, otherwise modify, or create an Electricity signal by controlling the movement of electrons in a low-pressure space....
s.
This metal is also used in photoelectric cells due to its ready emission of electron
Electron

The electron is a subatomic particle that carries a negative electric charge. It has elementary particle and is believed to be a point particle....
s.
Caesium was used as a propellant in early ion engines. It used a method of ionization to strip the outer electron from the propellant by simple contact with tungsten. Caesium use as a propellant was discontinued when Hughes Research Laboratory conducted a study finding xenon
Xenon

Xenon is a chemical element represented by the chemical symbol Xe. Its atomic number is 54. A colorless, heavy, odorless noble gas, xenon occurs in the Earth's atmosphere in trace amounts....
gas as a suitable replacement.
Caesium is used as a catalyst in the hydrogenation
Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation is the chemical reaction that results from the addition of hydrogen . The process is usually employed to a redox or Saturation organic compounds....
of certain organic compound
Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as carbonates, simple oxides of carbon and cyanides, as well as the allotropes of carbon, are considered Inorganic compound....
s.
Radioactive
Radioactive decay

Radioactive decay is the process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting ionizing particles and radiation. This decay, or loss of energy, results in an atom of one type, called the parent nuclide transforming to an atom of a different type, called the daughter nuclide....
isotopes of caesium are used in the medical field to treat certain types of cancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
.
Caesium fluoride
Caesium fluoride

Caesium fluoride , is an ionic compound usually found as a hygroscopic white solid. It is more soluble and more readily Dissociation than sodium fluoride or potassium fluoride....
is widely used in organic chemistry
Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the science study of the structure, properties, composition, chemical reaction, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon....
as a base
Base (chemistry)

In chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept protons. A base is also often referred to as an alkali if OH- ions are involved....
and as a source of anhydrous
Anhydrous

As a general term, a substance is said to be anhydrous if it contains no water. The way of achieving the anhydrous form differs from one substance to another....
fluoride
Fluoride

Fluoride is the Redox form of fluorine. Both organic compounds and inorganic compounds containing the chemical element fluorine are considered fluorides....
ion.
Caesium vapor is used in many common magnetometers.
Because of their high density, caesium chloride
Caesium chloride

Caesium chloride is the chemical compound with the formula CaesiumChlorine. This colorless solid is an important source of caesium ions in a variety of applications....
solutions are commonly used in molecular biology for density gradient ultracentrifugation, primarily for the isolation of viral particles, subcellular organelles and fractions, and nucleic acids from biological samples.
Caesium nitrate
Caesium nitrate

Caesium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula caesiumNitrogenOxygen3. It is used in infrared radiation producing pyrotechnic compositions as a pyrotechnic colorant and an oxidizer, e.g....
is used as an oxidizer
Oxidizing agent

An oxidizing agent can be defined as either:#a chemical compound that readily transfers oxygen atoms, or#a substance that gains electrons in a redox chemical reaction...
and pyrotechnic colorant
Pyrotechnic colorant

A Pyrotechnic colorant is a chemical compound which causes a flame to burn with a particular color. These are used to create the colors in firework....
to burn silicon
Silicon

Silicon is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855....
in infrared
Infrared

Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light , but shorter than that of terahertz radiation and microwaves ....
flares
Flare (pyrotechnic)

A flare, also sometimes called a fusee, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a brilliant light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for signaling, illumination, or defensive countermeasures in civilian and military applications....
such as the LUU-19 flare, because it emits much of its light in the near infrared
Infrared

Infrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light , but shorter than that of terahertz radiation and microwaves ....
spectrum.
Caesium-137
Caesium-137

Caesium-137 is a radioactivity isotope of caesium which is formed mainly by nuclear fission. It has a half-life of 30.23 years, and decays by pure beta decay to a metastable nuclear isomer of barium-137 ....
is an extremely common radioisotope used as a gamma
Gamma ray

Gamma rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation produced by atom particle interactions, such as electron-positron annihilation or radioactive decay....
-emitter in industrial applications such as:

moisture/density gauges
leveling gauges
thickness gauges
well logging
Well logging

Well logging, also known as borehole logging is the practice of making a detailed record of the geologic formations penetrated by a borehole....
devices which are used to measure the electron density
Electron density

Electron density is the measure of the probability of an electron being present at a specific location.In molecules, regions of electron density are usually found around the atom, and its bonds....
, which is analogous to the bulk density, of the rock formations.

Caesium is also used as an internal standard
Internal standard

An internal standard in analytical chemistry is a chemical substance that is added in a constant amount to samples, the blank and calibration standards in a chemical analysis....
in spectrophotometry
Spectrophotometry

In physics, spectrophotometry is the quantifiable study of electromagnetic spectrum. It is more specific than the general term electromagnetic spectroscopy in that spectrophotometry deals with Visible spectrum light, near-ultraviolet, and near-infrared....
.
Caesium has been used to reduce the radar signature
Radar cross section

Radar cross section is a measure of how detectable an object is with a radar. When radar waves are beamed at a target, only a certain amount is reflected back....
of exhaust plumes
Exhaust gas

Exhaust gas or flue gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel, fuel oil or coal....
in military aircraft
Military aircraft

A military aircraft is any Fixed-wing aircraft or military helicopters aircraft that is in the current employ of a military power. Fixed-wing military aircraft are also known as warplanes....
.

History

Caesium (Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
caesius meaning "blueish grey") was spectroscopically

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between radiation and matter as a function of wavelength . In fact, historically, spectroscopy referred to the use of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g....
discovered by Robert Bunsen

Robert Bunsen

Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was a Germany chemist. He investigated electromagnetic spectroscopy of heated elements, and with Gustav Kirchhoff he discovered cesium and rubidium....
and Gustav Kirchhoff

Gustav Kirchhoff

Gustav Robert Kirchhoff was a Germany physicist who contributed to the fundamental understanding of electrical circuits, spectroscopy, and the emission of black-body radiation by heated objects....
in 1860 in mineral water

Mineral water

Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the water....
from Dürkheim, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. The residues of 44,000 liters of mineral water yielded several grams of caesium salt for further analysis. Its identification was based upon the bright blue lines in its spectrum and it was the first element discovered by spectrum analysis

Spectrum analysis

Spectrum analysis also known as Emission Spectrochemical Analysis is the original scientific method of charting and analyzing the chemical properties of matter and gases by looking at the bands in their optical spectrum....
. The first caesium metal was produced in 1882 by electrolysis of caesium chloride by Carl Setterberg. Setterberg received his PhD from Kekule and Bunsen for this work. Historically, the most important use for caesium has been in research and development, primarily in chemical and electrical applications.

Occurrence

An alkali metal, caesium occurs in lepidolite

Lepidolite

Lepidolite It occurs in granite pegmatites, in some high-temperature quartz veins, greisens, and granites. Associated minerals include quartz, feldspar, spodumene, amblygonite, tourmaline, columbite, cassiterite, topaz, and beryl....
, pollucite

Pollucite

Pollucite is a zeolite mineral with the formula 2aluminum2silicon4oxygen12?2water with iron, calcium, rubidium and potassium as common substituting elements....
(hydrate

Hydrate

Hydrate is a term used in inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry to indicate that a substance contains water. The chemical state of the water varies widely between hydrates, some of which were so labeled before their chemical structure was understood....
d silicate

Silicate

A silicate is a compound containing an anion in which one or more central silicon atoms are surrounded by electronegative ligands. This definition is broad enough to include species such as hexafluorosilicate , [SiF6]2-, but the silicate species that are encountered most often consist of silicon with oxygen as the ligand...
of aluminium

Aluminium

Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13....
and caesium) and within other sources. One of the world's most significant and rich sources of this metal is at Bernic Lake in Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a prairie provinces in Canada, which has an area of 647,797 square kilometres and a population of 1,207,959 , with more than half located within the Winnipeg Capital Region ....
. The deposits there are estimated to contain 300,000 metric tons

Tonne

A tonne or metric ton , also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms, or 2204.6226 pounds....
of pollucite at an average of 20% caesium.

It can be isolated by electrolysis

Electrolysis

In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of separating Chemical bond chemical compound by passing an electric current through them....
of fused caesium cyanide

Cyanide

A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the nitrile , which consists of a carbon atom chemical bond to a nitrogen atom. Inorganic cyanides are hydrogen cyanide salts in which cyanide is generally the anion CN-....
and in a number of other ways. Exceptionally pure and gas-free caesium can be made by the thermal decomposition of caesium azide

Azide

Azide is the anion with the formula N3-. It is the conjugate base of hydrazoic acid. N3- is a linear anion that is isoelectronic with carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide....
. The primary compounds of caesium are caesium chloride

Caesium chloride

Caesium chloride is the chemical compound with the formula CaesiumChlorine. This colorless solid is an important source of caesium ions in a variety of applications....
and its nitrate

Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
. The price of caesium metal in 1997 was about US$30 per gram, but its compounds are much cheaper.

Isotopes

Caesium has at least 39 known isotopes, which is more than any other element except francium

Francium

Francium , formerly known as Mendeleev's predicted elements-caesium and actinium K, is a chemical element that has the symbol Fr and atomic number 87....
. The atomic mass

Atomic mass

The atomic mass is the mass of an atom, most often expressed in Atomic mass units. The atomic mass may be considered to be the total mass of protons, neutrons and electrons in a single atom ....
es of these isotopes range from 112 to 151. Even though this element has a large number of isotopes, it has only one naturally occurring stable isotope

Isotope

Isotopes are any of the different types of atoms of the same chemical element, each having a different atomic mass . Isotopes of an element have atomic nucleus with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutron....
, ¹³³Cs. Most of the other isotopes have half-lives

Half-life

The half-life of a quantity whose value decreases with time is the interval required for the quantity to decay to half of its initial value. The concept originated in describing how long it takes atoms to undergo radioactive decay but also applies in a wide variety of other situations....
from a few days to fractions of a second. The radiogenic

Radiogenic

A radiogenic nuclide is one that is produced by a process of radioactive decay.Radiogenic nuclides form some of the most important tools in Geology....
isotope ¹³⁷Cs

Caesium-137

Caesium-137 is a radioactivity isotope of caesium which is formed mainly by nuclear fission. It has a half-life of 30.23 years, and decays by pure beta decay to a metastable nuclear isomer of barium-137 ....
has been used in hydrologic studies, analogous to the use of ³H

Tritium

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The atomic nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of Hydrogen atom contains one proton and no neutrons....
. ¹³⁷Cs is produced from the detonation of nuclear weapon

Nuclear weapon

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion....
s and is produced in nuclear power plants, and was released to the atmosphere most notably from the 1986 Chernobyl meltdown. This isotope (¹³⁷Cs) is one of the numerous products of fission, directly issued from the fission of uranium.

Beginning in 1945 with the commencement of nuclear testing

Nuclear testing

File:Damage and Destruction of nuclear tests.oggNuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield and explosive capability of nuclear weapons....
, ¹³⁷Cs was released into the atmosphere

Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
where it is not absorbed readily into solution and is returned to the surface of the earth as a component of radioactive fallout. Once ¹³⁷Cs enters the ground water, it is deposited on soil surfaces and removed from the landscape primarily by particle transport. As a result, the input function of these isotopes cannot be estimated as a function of time. Caesium-137 has a half-life of 30.17 years. It decomposes to barium-137m (a short-lived product of decay) then to a form of nonradioactive barium.

Precautions

All alkali metals are highly reactive. Caesium, being one of the heavier alkali metal

Alkali metal

The alkali metals are a chemical series of chemical elements comprising Periodic table group of the periodic table: lithium , sodium , potassium , rubidium , caesium , and francium ....
s, is also one of the most reactive and is highly explosive when it comes in contact with water

Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
. The hydrogen gas produced by the reaction is heated by the thermal energy released at the same time, causing ignition and a violent explosion (the same as all alkali metals) - but caesium is so reactive that this explosive reaction can even be triggered by cold water or ice.

Caesium is highly pyrophoric and ignites spontaneously in air to form caesium hydroxide

Caesium hydroxide

Base (chemistry)

In chemistry, a base is most commonly thought of as an aqueous substance that can accept protons. A base is also often referred to as an alkali if OH- ions are involved....
, and can etch glass

Glass

Glass generally refers to a Hardness, brittle, transparency amorphous solid, such as that used for windows, many Glass Bottles, or eyewear, including, but not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovite , or aluminium oxynitride....
.

Caesium compounds are rarely encountered by most persons. All caesium compounds should be regarded as mildly toxic because of its chemical similarity to potassium

Potassium

Potassium is a chemical element. It has the symbol K , atomic number 19, and atomic mass 39.0983. Potassium was first isolated from potash, hence the name....
. Large amounts cause hyperirritability and spasms, but such amounts would not ordinarily be encountered in natural sources, so Cs is not a major chemical environmental pollutant. Rats fed caesium in place of potassium in their diet die, so this element cannot replace potassium in function.

The isotope

Isotope

Isotopes are any of the different types of atoms of the same chemical element, each having a different atomic mass . Isotopes of an element have atomic nucleus with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutron....
s ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs (present in the biosphere

Biosphere

The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. From the broadest Geophysiology point of view, the biosphere is the global ecology system integrating all living beings and their relationships, including their interaction with the elements of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and Earth's atmosphere....
in small amounts as a result of radiation leaks) represent a radioactivity burden which varies depending on location. Radiocaesium does not accumulate in the body as effectively as many other fission products (such as radioiodine and radiostrontium), which are actively accumulated by the body.

Caesium

Characteristics

Applications

History

Occurrence

Isotopes

Precautions

See also

External links