FAST FACTS
* THALLIUM WAS DISCOVERED BY SR. WILLIAM CROOKES IN 1861* THALLIUM SULFATE WAS ONCE USED AS A RAT OR ANT POISON, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN BANNED FROM HOUSEHOLD USE IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 1974
* THE WORD THALLIUM CAME FROM THE LATIN WORD THALLOS WHICH MEANS GREEN TWIG
* SINCE THALLIUM CAN BE FOUND IN THE AIR OR EARTH YOU ARE EXPOSED TO IT EVERY DAY
* YOU CAN GET CANCER FROM THALLIUM
* THALLIUM IS USED IN PHOTOCELLS WHICH ARE A TYPE OF RESISTOR THAT USES LIGHT TO RESIST THINGS
MUST KNOWS!
THALLIUM IS A BASIC METAL. ITS ATOMIC MASS IS 204.3833. IT IS A BLUISH/GRAY COLOR AND LOOKS SOMEWHAT LIKE A STICK OF LEAD. IT IS IN GROUP 3A AND PERIOD 6.
The Atomic Structure of Thallium
NAME: THALLIUM
ATOMIC NUMBER: 81
SYMBOL: TI
A picture with the name, symbol, atomic number and atomic mass on it.
HISTORY OF THALLIUM
THALLIUM WAS DISCOVERED BY SIR. WILLIAM CROOKES IN 1861. HE WAS LOOKING FOR TELLURIUM BUT WHILE LOOKING IN SOME PLANT RESIDUES HE FOUND AN UNKNOWN EXISTENCE OF A NEW ELEMENT. CROOKES DECIDE TO NAME IT THALLIUM BECAUSE IT REMINDED HIM OF THE COLOR OF PLANTS. THE WORD THALLIUM CAME FROM THE LATIN THALLOS WORD GREEN TWIG. AT FIRST THALLIUM WAS THOUGHT TO BE FROM THE FAMILY OF SULFUR BUT THEY ABANDONED THAT IDEA WHEN THEY SAW THAT THALLIUM POSSESSED PROPERTIES SIMILAR TO THOSE OF LEAD, MERCURY, AND ALUMINUM.
RESOURCE WEBSITES
Sir. William Crookes the man who discovered Thallium
A Photocell
Thallium Metal
ISOLATION:
Crude Thallium is isolated by dissolving in dilut acid, then adding HCl. Further purification can be done by electrolysis of soluble thllium salts.