16 Facts About Thallium

Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81.

Thallium atom has 81 electrons, arranged in the electron configuration [Xe]4f5d6s6p; of these, the three outermost electrons in the sixth shell are valence electrons.

Thallium is the first element in group 13 where the reduction of the +3 oxidation state to the +1 oxidation state is spontaneous under standard conditions.

Thallium is malleable and sectile enough to be cut with a knife at room temperature.

Thallium has 41 isotopes which have atomic masses that range from 176 to 216.

Thallium noticed the new green line in the spectra and concluded that a new element was present.

Thallium is found in the minerals crookesite TlCu7Se4, hutchinsonite TlPbAs5S9, and lorandite TlAsS2.

Thallium occurs as a trace element in iron pyrite, and thallium is extracted as a by-product of roasting this mineral for the production of sulfuric acid.

Thallium can be obtained from the smelting of lead and zinc ores.

Thallium salts were used in the treatment of ringworm, other skin infections and to reduce the night sweating of tuberculosis patients.

Thallium oxide has been used to manufacture glasses that have a high index of refraction.

Thallium selenide has been used in bolometers for infrared detection.

Thallium stress test is a form of scintigraphy in which the amount of thallium in tissues correlates with tissue blood supply.

Thallium is a constituent of the alloy in the anode plates of magnesium seawater batteries.

Thallium iodide is frequently used as an additive in metal-halide lamps, often together with one or two halides of other metals.

Thallium compounds have a high aqueous solubility and are readily absorbed through the skin, and care should be taken to avoid this route of exposure, as cutaneous absorption can exceed the absorbed dose received by inhalation at the permissible exposure limit .