Cesium information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its High Purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
 Cesium is a member of the alkali group of metals. It is one of three metals that occur as a liquid at room temperature-the others are mercury and gallium. Cesium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. Cesium is used as an oxygen "getter" in vacuum and electronic tubes and as a component of photoelectric cells. Cesium compounds are considered to be slightly toxic. Atomic clocks use the microwave spectral line emitted by Cesium Isotope 133 for reference. Cesium chloride is an unproven treatment for cancer. Radioactive Cesium 137 is an artificial isotope produced that is an approved radiation source for cancer radiotherapy. Under pressure, Cesium hydride is stiffer than diamond. Laboratories use various cerium compounds for their ability to hydrogenate organic compounds. Caesium is named for the vibrant blue lines in its spectrum.
Cesium facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
available for many specific states, forms and shapes on the product pages listed to the left. Elemental or metallic forms include pellets, rod, wire and granules for evaporation source material purposes. Nanoparticles and nanopowders provide ultra high surface area which nanotechnology research and recent experiments demonstrate function to create new and unique properties and benefits.
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in  which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Cesium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries.
Cesium is a Block S, Group 1, Period 6 element. The number of electrons in each of Cesium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 18, 8, 1 and its electronic configuration is [Xe] 6s1. In its elemental form cesium's CAS number is 7440-46-2. The cesium atom has a radius of 265.5.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm. Cesium compounds are slightly toxic.
All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, thin fillm deposition using sputtering targets and evaporation materials, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology applications. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Cesium compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis.
Cesium's main commercial source is pollucite ore; however, it is also found in beryl, avogadrite, pezzottaite, and londonite. Cesium was first discovered by Fustov Kirchhoff in 1860.
The word Caesium originates from the Latin word 'caesisus' meaning "sky blue".
 césium |
 Cesium |
 cesio |
 Césio |
 cesio |
 Cesium |
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of cesium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| Cs-133 |
132.905447 |
100 |
The following table shows the abundance of Cesium present in the human body and in the universe scaled to parts per billion (ppb) by weight and by atom:
| |
Typical Human Body |
Universe |
| by Weight |
20 ppb |
0.8 ppb |
| by Atom |
1 ppb |
0.1 ppb |
Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for cesium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Cesium compounds have no biological role.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for cesium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table:
| 1st Ionization Energy |
375.71 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
2234.37 kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
- kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to cesium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 20 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 0.79. The thermal conductivity of cesium is 35.9 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for cesium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
2.09 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
66.5 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
77.58 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for CesiumRadiocesium Distribution in the Tissues of Japanese Black Beef Heifers Fed Fallout-Contaminated Roughage Due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident.
Sasaki K, Hayashi M, Narita T, Motoyama M, Oe M, Ojima K, Nakajima I, Muroya S, Chikuni K, Aikawa K, Ide Y, Nakanishi N, Suzuki N, Shioya S, Takenaka A.
Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2012 Aug 7. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22878206
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Radiation-Triggered NF-?B Activation is Responsible for the Angiogenic Signaling Pathway and Neovascularization for Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation and Growth.
Yu H, Mohan S, Natarajan M.
Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2012;6:125-135. Epub 2012 Jul 23.
PMID:
22872788
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Free PMC Article
Using plot experiments to test the validity of mass balance models employed to estimate soil redistribution rates from (137)Cs and (210)Pb(ex) measurements.
Porto P, Walling DE.
Appl Radiat Isot. 2012 Jun 22;70(10):2451-2459. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22871452
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Fish pollution with anthropogenic (137)Cs in the southern Baltic Sea.
Zalewska T, Suplinska M.
Chemosphere. 2012 Aug 2. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22863062
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
The transfer of stable (133)Cs from rice to Japanese sake.
Okuda M, Joyo M, Tokuoka M, Hashiguchi T, Goto-Yamamoto N, Yamaoka H, Shimoi H.
J Biosci Bioeng. 2012 Jul 31. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22857899
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
A Water-Soluble Molecular Capsule for the Complexation of Cesium and Thallium Cations.
Brotin T, Cavagnat D, Berthault P, Montserret R, Buffeteau T.
J Phys Chem B. 2012 Aug 2. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22857150
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Temperature and RyR1 Regulate the Activation Rate of Store-Operated Ca(2+) Entry Current in Myotubes.
Yarotskyy V, Dirksen RT.
Biophys J. 2012 Jul 18;103(2):202-11. Epub 2012 Jul 17.
PMID:
22853897
[PubMed - in process]
Decontamination Work in the Area Surrounding Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant: Another Occupational Health Challenge of the Nuclear Disaster.
Wada K, Yoshikawa T, Murata M.
Arch Environ Occup Health. 2012 Jul;67(3):128-32.
PMID:
22845725
[PubMed - in process]
[Impact of the increasing levels of soil radiation pollution on the biochemical composition of plants].
[No authors listed]
Gig Sanit. 2012 Mar-Apr;(2):12-4. Russian.
PMID:
22834257
[PubMed - in process]
Electronic circular dichroism in the 4f-4f transitions of a series of cesium tetrakis (+)-3-heptafluorobutyrylcamphorate Ln(iii) complexes.
Shirotani D, Sato H, Yamanari K, Kaizaki S.
Dalton Trans. 2012 Jul 25. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22832476
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Separation of low concentration of cesium ion from wastewater by electrochemically switched ion exchange method: Experimental adsorption kinetics analysis.
Sun B, Hao XG, Wang ZD, Guan GQ, Zhang ZL, Li YB, Liu SB.
J Hazard Mater. 2012 Sep 30;233-234:177-83. Epub 2012 Jul 10.
PMID:
22819476
[PubMed - in process]
The negative chronotropic effect of cs(+) ions on generation of transmembrane potentials in mouse sinoatrial node cells.
Gonotkov MA, Golovko VA.
Bull Exp Biol Med. 2011 Dec;152(2):169-72. English, Russian.
PMID:
22808451
[PubMed - in process]
Combined application of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 and its impact on spiral ganglion neuron firing properties and hyperpolarization-activated currents.
Needham K, Nayagam BA, Minter RL, O'Leary SJ.
Hear Res. 2012 Sep;291(1-2):1-14. Epub 2012 Jul 14.
PMID:
22796476
[PubMed - in process]
On the Structure of Aqueous Cesium Fluoride and Cesium Iodide Solutions: Diffraction Experiments, Molecular Dynamics Simulations, and Reverse Monte Carlo Modeling.
Mile V, Gereben O, Kohara S, Pusztai L.
J Phys Chem B. 2012 Aug 1. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22794148
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Investigating the dosimetric and tumor control consequences of prostate seed loss and migration.
Knaup C, Mavroidis P, Esquivel C, Stathakis S, Swanson G, Baltas D, Papanikolaou N.
Med Phys. 2012 Jun;39(6):3291-8.
PMID:
22755712
[PubMed - in process]
Constitutive Activity of TRPML2 and TRPML3 Channels versus Activation by Low Extracellular Sodium and Small Molecules.
Grimm C, Jörs S, Guo Z, Obukhov AG, Heller S.
J Biol Chem. 2012 Jun 29;287(27):22701-8.
PMID:
22753890
[PubMed - in process]
Speciation analysis of (129)I, (137)Cs, (232)Th, (238)U, (239)Pu and (240)Pu in environmental soil and sediment.
Qiao J, Hansen V, Hou X, Aldahan A, Possnert G.
Appl Radiat Isot. 2012 Aug;70(8):1698-708. Epub 2012 Apr 16.
PMID:
22750199
[PubMed - in process]
Surface-Induced Dissociation of Ion Mobility-Separated Noncovalent Complexes in a Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer.
Zhou M, Huang C, Wysocki VH.
Anal Chem. 2012 Jul 17;84(14):6016-23. Epub 2012 Jun 29.
PMID:
22747517
[PubMed - in process]
Bioaccumulation factors and the steady state assumption for cesium isotopes in aquatic foodwebs near nuclear facilities.
Rowan DJ.
J Environ Radioact. 2012 Jun 18. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22717303
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Removal of radioactive iodine and cesium in water purification processes after an explosion at a nuclear power plant due to the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Kosaka K, Asami M, Kobashigawa N, Ohkubo K, Terada H, Kishida N, Akiba M.
Water Res. 2012 Sep 15;46(14):4397-404. Epub 2012 Jun 7.
PMID:
22717151
[PubMed - in process] |
