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Element 48 - Cadmium (Cd) sound

From kadmia, or earth; discovered 1817. Cadmium occurs in nature with zinc. It makes excellent neutron-eating rods to slow up atomic chain reactions and finds use in nickel-cadmium batteries. Its bright sulfide makes the artist's popular pigment, cadmium yellow.

Properties

Atomic Number: 48
Atomic Weight: 112.41
Electron Configuration (at ground state): 1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p64d105s2
Oxidation States (Bold most stable): +2
Boiling Point (K): 1040
Melting Point (K): 594.26
Density (at 300K -- g/cm3): 8.65
Atomic Volume (at 300K -- cm3/mol) 13.10
Number of stable isotopes: 8
Mass Number (Bold naturally occurring) -- Half-Life -- Disintigration Type: 109 -- 453 days -- orbital electron capture
Covalent Radius (Å): 1.41
Atomic Radius (Å): 1.71
First Ionization Potential (V): 8.993
Electronegativity (Pauling's): 1.69
Specific Heat Capacity (at 300K -- J g-1 K-1): 0.232
Heat of Vaporization (kJ/mol): 99.87
Heat of Fusion (kJ/mol): 6.07
Electrical Conductivity (at 293K for polycrystalline material -- 106 (ohms)-1 cm-1): 14.7
Thermal Conductivity (at 300K -- W m-1 K-1): 96.8
Crystal Structure: Hexagonal
Acid-Base Properties: Very basic