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Definition of the Thallium Element
A soft, malleable, highly
toxic metallic element, used in photocells, infrared detectors,
low-melting glass, and formerly in rodent and ant poisons.
Origin / Meaning of the name Thallium
The name originates from the Greek word 'thallos' meaning a
green shoot or twig from Thallium's bright green spectral emission
lines.
Classification of the Thallium Element
Thallium is
classified in the 'Other Metals' section which can be located in
groups 13, 14, and 15 of the Periodic Table. All of these elements
are solid, have a relatively high density and are opaque.
The
Discovery of Thallium
Thallium was discovered by
Sir William Crookes
in England in 1861. Claude-Auguste Lamy and Sir William Crookes
isolated the metal independent of each other in 1862.
Facts about the History of the Thallium
Element
Properties within each individual group are similar, but
nevertheless vary within a group. Generally chemical activity
decreases as the period increases a non-metal group and increases
as the period increases within a metal group. The first element in
a group is always an active metal, the last is always an inactive
non-metal.
Occurrence the Thallium Element
Obtained from crookesite,
hutchinsonite & lorandite
Associated Uses of Thallium
Photocells
Rat poison
Ant killer
Thallium bromide-iodide crystals have been used as infrared
optical materials
Gamma radiation detection equipment
Medical applications for the treatment of skin infections
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