Discovery Information
|
Who: Fredrich Stromeyer |
When: 1817 |
Where: Germany |
|
Name Origin
|
Greek: kadmeia (ancient name for calamine (ZnCO3)); Latin: cadmia.
|
|
Sources
|
Obtained as a by product of zinc refining. Occurs in rare ores such as Greenockite (CdS), the only mineral cadmium of any importance.
|
|
Uses
|
Used in nickel-cadmium batteries (about 75% of all cadmium is used in batteries), nuclear reactor regulator, bearing alloys, solder and
red/yellow pigments.
|
Compounds containing cadmium are used in black and white television phosphors and also in the blue and green phosphors for
color television picture tubes.
|
Used in some semiconductors such as cadmium sulfide (CdS), cadmium selenide (CdSe), and cadmium telluride (CdTe), which can
be used for light detection or solar cells. Mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) is sensitive to infrared.
|
Cadmium forms various salts, with cadmium sulfide (CdS) being the most common. This sulfide is used as a yellow pigment. Cadmium
selenide (CdSe) can be used as red pigment, commonly called cadmium red.
|
|
Notes
|
Cadmium is a soft ductile metal that can easily be cut with a knife. |
Cadmium is extremely poisonous, even in low concentrations. |