Thallium :: essays research papers

atomic number 81My element was Thallium. It is atomic number 81. It has 81 protons andelectrons and 123 neutrons. Thallium has a mass of 204.3833 atomic mass units.Its symbol is Tl. It resides in Group IIIA of the periodic table. That is thealuminum family. Thallium has a bluish color after vulnerability to the air. It isa very soft and malleable metal. It has an electron configuration of1s22s23s23p64s23d104p65s24d105p64f145d106s26p1. It has 6 electron shells. Itmelts at 576.7 K and boils at 1730 K. It is a solid when at populate temperature.     Thallium was discovered in 1861 by a British chemist and physicist. Hisname was Sir William Crookes. He discovered it spectroscopically in England.He isolated it. In 1862, the french chemist Claude August again isolated it.Thallium comes form the Greek word "thallos". "Thallos" meant "green twig" or"green shoot".     Thallium does non have many uses. It is used in p hotocells because ofthe electrical conductivity of thallium sulphide. Thallium was originally usedto help treat ringworm and many otherwise skin infections. It was then limitedbecause of the narrow margin between the benefits and its health risks.Thallium bromide-iodide crystals are still used as infrared detectors. Thalliumsulfate used to be widely used as a pesticide and an ant killer. It wasodorless and tasteless and worked well, but it was found to be too toxic.Thallium slats which rationalise with a bright green flame are used in flares androckets. Thallium is the 60th most abundant element in the Earths crust.There are 3.6 parts of Thallium in every million parts of the Earths crust.Thallium compounds are extremely toxic. The negative effectuate are cumulative andcan be taken in through the skin. Poisoning from Thallium takes several days toeffect you and when it does, it hits the nervous system. Thallium should only ifbe handled by trained professionals with the right equ ipment and safetyprecautions.Thallium deposits are occasionally found in Sweden and the Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia. It is also extracted from the fuck up produced in leadchambers that are used in the manufacturing of sulfuric acid. Thallium is alsoused in Thallium high-Tc superconductors.