Thorium 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.
 Thorium is a lanthanide (rare earth) material with potential nuclear power applications. Thorium 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. It is presently used as a tungsten coating in electronic parts due to its high emission factor. Thorium in the form of its fluoride and oxide is used in advanced optic applications for its high refractive index. It is also used in several other high temperature glass applications, such as in the mantle of lamps and to produce crystal growth crucibles and ampules.
The name Thorium originates from the Scandinavian god, Thor, the Norse god of war and thunder.
Thorium 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. Thorium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries.
Thorium is a Block F, Group 3, Period 7 element. The number of electrons in each of Thorium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 10, 2 and its electronic configuration is [Rn] 6d2 7s2. In its elemental form thorium's CAS number is 7440-29-1. The thorium atom has a radius of 179.8.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm. Thorium is radioactive and can collect in bones which may cause bone cancer several years after exposure. Breathing in substantial amounts of thorium may be lethal.
 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 Thorium 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.
Thorium was first discovered by Jons Berzelius in 1828.
 Thorium |
 Thorium |
 Torio |
 Tório |
 Torio |
 Torium |
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of thorium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| Th-229 |
229.031755 |
* |
| Th-230 |
232.038050 |
100 |
The following table shows the abundance of Thorium 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 |
no data |
0.4 ppb |
| by Atom |
no data |
0.002 ppb |
Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for thorium 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. Thorium compounds have no biological role.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for thorium (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 |
608.51 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
1109.59 kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
1929.72 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to thorium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 13 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 1.3. The thermal conductivity of thorium is 54 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for thorium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
19.2 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
513.67 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
598.65 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for Thorium
The Th[double bond, length as m-dash]C double bond: an experimental and computational study of thorium poly-carbene complexes.
Ren W, Deng X, Zi G, Fang DC.
Dalton Trans. 2011 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21814698
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Synthesis and Characterization of Thorium(IV) Sulfates.
Knope KE, Wilson RE, Skanthakumar S, Soderholm L.
Inorg Chem. 2011 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21812466
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Thorium Oxo and Sulfido Metallocenes: Synthesis, Structure, Reactivity, and Computational Studies.
Ren W, Zi G, Fang DC, Walter MD.
J Am Chem Soc. 2011 Jul 27. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21793520
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
The discoveries of uranium 237 and symmetric fission - From the archival papers of Nishina and Kimura.
Ikeda N.
Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2011;87(7):371-6.
PMID:
21785255
[PubMed - in process]
Matrix infrared spectroscopic and density functional theoretical investigations on thorium and uranium atom reactions with dimethyl ether.
Gong Y, Andrews L.
Dalton Trans. 2011 Jul 18. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21769368
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Tris(tetra-butyl-ammonium) tris-(nitrato-?O,O')tetra-kis-(thio-cyanato-?N)thorium(IV).
Lozano-Rodriguez MJ, Thuéry P, Petit S, Copping R, Mustre de Leon J, Den Auwer C.
Acta Crystallogr Sect E Struct Rep Online. 2011 Apr 1;67(Pt 4):m487. Epub 2011 Mar 26.
PMID:
21753998
[PubMed]
Interaction of thorium(iv) with nitrate in aqueous solution: medium effect or weak complexation?
Di Bernardo P, Zanonato P, Rao L, Bismondo A, Endrizzi F.
Dalton Trans. 2011 Jul 8. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21738949
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Should we consider using liquid fluoride thorium reactors for power generation?
Cooper N, Minakata D, Begovic M, Crittenden J.
Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Aug 1;45(15):6237-8. Epub 2011 Jul 6. No abstract available.
PMID:
21732635
[PubMed - in process]
Electron correlation and relativistic effects in atomic structure calculations of the thorium atom.
Roy SK, Prasad R, Chandra P.
J Chem Phys. 2011 Jun 21;134(23):234302.
PMID:
21702551
[PubMed - in process]
[Dust concentration analysis in non-coal mining. Exposure evaluation based on measurements performed by occupational hygiene laboratories in the years 2001-2005 in Poland].
Bujak-Pietrek S, Mikolajczyk U, Szadkowska-Stanczyk I.
Med Pr. 2011;62(2):113-25. Polish.
PMID:
21698871
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
A cryogenic beam of refractory, chemically reactive molecules with expansion cooling.
Hutzler NR, Parsons MF, Gurevich YV, Hess PW, Petrik E, Spaun B, Vutha AC, Demille D, Gabrielse G, Doyle JM.
Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2011 Jun 22. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21698321
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Proposal for a nuclear gamma-ray laser of optical range.
Tkalya EV.
Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Apr 22;106(16):162501. Epub 2011 Apr 21.
PMID:
21599361
[PubMed - in process]
Accumulation and soil-to-plant transfer of radionuclides in the Nile Delta coastal black sand habitats.
Hegazy AK, Emam MH.
Int J Phytoremediation. 2011 Feb;13(2):140-55.
PMID:
21598782
[PubMed - in process]
Smart thorium and uranium determination exploiting renewable solid-phase extraction applied to environmental samples in a wide concentration range.
Avivar J, Ferrer L, Casas M, Cerdà V.
Anal Bioanal Chem. 2011 Jul;400(10):3585-94. Epub 2011 May 14.
PMID:
21573729
[PubMed - in process]
Gamma-spectrometric analysis of high salinity fluids - how to analyze radionuclides of the thorium decay chain far from radioactive equilibrium?
Degering D, Köhler M.
Appl Radiat Isot. 2011 Apr 22. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
21570856
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Assessment of radionuclide and metal contamination in a thorium rich area in Norway.
Popic JM, Salbu B, Strand T, Skipperud L.
J Environ Monit. 2011 Jun;13(6):1730-8. Epub 2011 May 10.
PMID:
21556423
[PubMed - in process]
Retraction notice to "Immobilization of 5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-thiolonto kanemite for thorium (IV) removal: thermodynamic and equilibrium study" [J. Colloid Interface Sci. 338 (2009) 30-39].
[No authors listed]
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2011 May 15;357(2):558. No abstract available.
PMID:
21553729
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
EPR evidence for the restricted mobility of NO2 in gamma irradiated thorium nitrate pentahydrate Th(NO3)4·5H2O.
Rajeswari B, Kadam RM, Dhawale BA, Babu Y, Natarajan V, Godbole SV.
Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2011 Aug;79(3):405-11. Epub 2011 Mar 24.
PMID:
21524936
[PubMed - in process]
Screening of plant species for phytoremediation of uranium, thorium, barium, nickel, strontium and lead contaminated soils from a uranium mill tailings repository in South China.
Li GY, Hu N, Ding DX, Zheng JF, Liu YL, Wang YD, Nie XQ.
Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2011 Jun;86(6):646-52. Epub 2011 Apr 27.
PMID:
21523506
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Background radiation and individual dosimetry in the costal area of Tamil Nadu, India.
Matsuda N, Brahmanandhan GM, Yoshida M, Takamura N, Suyama A, Koguchi Y, Juto N, Raj YL, Winsley G, Selvasekarapandian S.
Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2011;146(1-3):314-7. Epub 2011 Apr 18.
PMID:
21502300
[PubMed - in process] |
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