My 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 exposure to the air. It isa very soft and malleable metal. It has 6 electron shells. Itmelts at 576.7 K and boils at 1730 K. It is a solid when at room 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 not have many uses. It is used in photocells because ofthe electrical conductivity of thallium sulphide. Thallium was originally usedto help treat ringworm and many other 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. Thalliumsulphate 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 burn 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 effects 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 onlybe handled by trained professionals with the right equipment and safetyprecautions.
Thallium deposits are occasionally found in Sweden and the Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia. It is also extracted from the mud produced in leadchambers that are used in the manufacturing of sulfuric acid. Thallium is alsoused in Thallium high-Tc superconductors. Just recently, Thallium is beginningto be used to visualize the reduced flow of blood into the heart muscle. It isinjected into the veins and then a camera records the thallium penetration andshows the areas of the reduced flow of blood.
Thallium is an element that most people have never heard of before, butthey will in the future. If the heart exams prove to be beneficial, it shouldbecome more popular. Thallium is very dangerous though. It is not very commonthough and therefore should not be worried about.
