Cadmium :: essays research papers fc

Cadmium, symbol, Cd, is a silverywhite metallic chemical element with a faint bluetinge to it. It is the fifty-seventh most unremarkablyfound element in the earth. It was discovered byF. Stromeyer, in 1817, in Germany. Stromeyerwas studying a sample of zinc carbonate whichseparated into a the bran-new element ultimately calledcadmium. The only cadmium materials,greenockite (cadmium sulfide) and otavile(cadmium carbonate) be found in zinc oxide andzinc carbonate. Cadmium, which is usuallyassociated with zinc has some differences some ofwhich are that cadmium is softer and has a lowermelting and boiling point than zinc. There are fivebasic states of cadmium. First, there is the regularraw metal cadmium. wherefore there is cadmium oxidewhich is make by burning the raw metal in the airproducing brown smoke. Cadmium oxide can alsobe formed by heating cadmium carbonate in acidor ammonia producing a brown powder. By doingthis, cadmium and oxygen are creation mixed.Cadmium carbonate is made by absorbing carbondioxide into the raw metal or mixing cadmium saltswith ammonium carbonate, forming a salt-likesubstance. Cadmium sulfide is made by mixinghydrogen sulfide with a solution of cadmium ions,resulting in a range of colors from lemon yellow toa deep red. Cadmium halides are compounds withcomplex cadmium ions in them to form variedstructure solutions. The regular structure of acadmium atom is that it has quartet electron shellswith a total of 48 electrons in it. The main utilisation forcadmium is to plate iron, steel and other metals,protecting them from corrosion. This method hasbeen employ since 1919. The use of cadmium has tobe limited because it gives off large numbers oftoxins into the environment. The use of cadmiumhas gradually decreased in order to help theenvironment. It is not used to plate foodprocessing parts or ovens because of this.Cadmium may be found in some cereals, nuts andvegetables, but scientists doubt that, if taken issmall quantities, it would prove harmful. Cadmiumis also used for nickel-cadmium batteries andnuclear control rods. It is used in compounds, forexample, with copper to harden them. Since thecolor of cadmium sulfide varies it is reclaimable for