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What is Cadmium? Origin / Meaning of the name Cadmium
The name originates from
the Greek word kadmeia and from the Latin word cadmia
meaning "calamine". Calamine is a historic name for an ore of
zinc. The name calamine was derived from the Belgian town of
Kelmis, whose French name is "La Calamine", which is home to a
zinc mine.
What is Cadmium? Periodic Table Group and Classification of the Cadmium Element
Elements can be classified based on their physical states (States
of Matter) e.g. gas, solid or liquid. This element is a solid. Cadmium
is
classified as a "Transition Metal" which are located in Groups 3 -
12 of the Periodic Table. Elements classified as
Transition Metals are generally described as ductile, malleable, and able to conduct electricity and heat.Nearly 75% of all the elements in the Periodic Table
are classified as metals which are detailed in the
List of Metals.
Facts about the Discovery and
History of the Cadmium
Element
Cadmium was discovered in
Germany by Fredrich Stromeyer
in 1817
What is Cadmium? Occurrence of the Cadmium Element
Cadmium occurs in small quantities in some zinc ores. In the
course of the metallurgy of zinc the cadmium compounds undergo
chemical changes quite similar to those of the zinc compounds,
and the cadmium distills along with the zinc. Being more
volatile, it comes over with the first of the zinc and is
prepared from the first portions of the distillate by special
methods of purification. The element very closely resembles zinc
in most respects. Some of its alloys are characterized by having
low melting points.
Obtained from zinc refining, mining, smelting
Greenockite is the only cadmium mineral of importance and is
nearly always associated with sphalerite
Abundances of the element in different environments
% in Universe
2×10-7%
% in Sun 6×10-7%
% in Meteorites 0.000044%
% in Earth's Crust 0.000015%
% in Oceans 5×10-9%
% in Humans 0.00007%
Associated Uses of Cadmium
Batteries - Nickel Cadmium
Pigments
Coatings and platings
Barrier to control nuclear fission
Televisions
Nickel cadmium batteries |