What is Cadmium?
In its pure form, cadmium is a silvery white, malleable metal with a bluish hue. It is found naturally in the earth’s crust and is a relatively rare metal, ranking 67th in abundance among the 90 naturally occurring elements on Earth. Cadmium is odorless and tasteless, and chemical analysis is most often required to detect its presence. Because it readily reacts with other elements, cadmium is rarely found in its pure, or elemental, form but rather coupled with other elements in a variety of compounds, including some that are extremely toxic. Two forms of cadmium compounds, cadmium sulfates and cadmium chlorides, dissolve so easily in water that people rarely find them in nature in their solid form. Friedrich Stromeyer Cadmium is primarily found in zinc-containing ores, but it may also be found in lead and copper ores. The primary mineral form of the metal is greenockite or cadmium sulfide. Other mineral forms such as otavite or cadmium carbonate exist but are fairly rare. Pure cadmium
Cadmium is a rare metallic element found in small deposits on almost every continent. It has a number of uses, perhaps most famously as a pigment in paint, and it can be expensive due to its rarity. Cadmium is also toxic, and it should be handled with care; people who are exposed to cadmium because of their occupations should exercise routine cautions, as cadmium will bioaccumulate, concentrating in the body without being expressed like other toxins are. Pure cadmium is rare in nature. The element is usually found in combinations with other elements, typically copper, zinc, and lead. Cadmium is extracted from these ores during the smelting process, or with the assistance of chemicals such as sulfuric acid. When isolated, cadmium is a soft, bluish white metal which is highly ductile, making it extremely suitable for metal alloys. The element’s atomic number is 48, and it is identified on the periodic table of elements with the symbol Cd, among the transition metals. Fredrich Stromeyer i
Cadmium is a natural element in the earths crust. It is usually found as a mineral combined with other elements such as oxygen (cadmium oxide), chlorine (cadmium chloride), or sulfur (cadmium sulfate, cadmium sulfide). All soils and rocks, including coal and mineral fertilizers, contain some cadmium. Most cadmium used in the United States is extracted during the production of other metals like zinc, lead, and copper. Cadmium does not corrode easily and has many uses, including batteries, pigments, metal coatings, and plastics.
Description Metal found in the earths crust, associated with zinc, lead, and copper ores. Pure cadmium is a soft, silver-white metal. Cadmium chloride and cadmium sulfate are soluble in water. Uses • Manufacturing Most cadmium used in the United States is extracted as a byproduct during the production of other metals such as zinc, lead, or copper. Cadmium is also recovered from used batteries. • Consumer products Cadmium is used for the following: • batteries (83%) • pigments (8%) • coatings and platings (7%) • stabilizers for plastics (1.2%) • nonferrous alloys, photovoltaic devices, and other uses (0.8%) top 1.2 What happens to cadmium when it enters the environment? Sources Cadmium is emitted to soil, water, and air by non-ferrous metal mining and refining, manufacture and application of phosphate fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, and waste incineration and disposal. Cadmium can accumulate in aquatic organisms and agricultural crops. Fate • Air Cadmium (as oxide, chloride, and su
