Thorium vs Cadmium
Periodic Table
Symbol
Th
Cd
Group Number
0
18
12
6
Period Number
7
5
Block
f block
d block
Element Family
Actinide
Transition Metal
CAS Number
7440326
99+
7440439
99+
Space Group Name
P63/mmc
P63/mmc
Space Group Number
194.00
5
194.00
5
Facts
Interesting Facts
- Thorium metal is used as an alternate option over Uranium for nuclear fuel.
- Thorium metals appearance (silvery white, soft) is somewhat similar to Lead metal.
- Naturally occurring minor elements include Cadmium.
- Cadmium is released into atmosphere to control volcanic eruption and forest fires.
- It is used for electroplating of Steel for corrosion resistance.
- It can absorb neutrons and used in nuclear reactor to control atomic fission.
Sources
Found in Minerals, Mining
Found As a By-product, Found in Minerals, Mining
History
Who Discovered
Jöns Jakob Berzelius
Karl Samuel Leberecht Hermann and Friedrich Stromeyer
Discovery
In 1829
In 1817
Abundance
Abundance In Universe
3 * 10-4 %
9
2 * 10-7 %
22
Abundance In Sun
~0.0004 %
9
~0.0000006 %
21
Abundance In Meteorites
0.05 %
11
0.00 %
31
Abundance In Earth's Crust
0.66 %
7
0.00 %
99+
Abundance In Oceans
0.00 %
15
0.00 %
28
Abundance In Humans
Not Available
0.00 %
11
Uses
Uses & Benefits
- Thorium metal is used as an allying agent for Magnesium, It imparts greater strength and resistance to temperature.
- compound of this metal Thorium oxide is used as an industrial catalyst.
- It has very limited uses as it is a toxic metal and it can cause birth defects, cancer, etc.
- Almost 80% of Cadmium metal is used in Nickel cadmium Batteries and now it is getting replaced with nickel hydride.
Industrial Uses
Aerospace Industry, Automobile Industry, Chemical Industry, Electrical Industry, Electronic Industry
Aerospace Industry, Ammunition Industry, Chemical Industry, Electrical Industry, Electronic Industry
Medical Uses
Dentistry, Surgical Instruments Manufacturing
NA
Other Uses
Alloys, Jewellery, Sculptures, Statues
Alloys
Biological Properties
Toxicity
Non Toxic
Toxic
Present in Human Body
Yes
Yes
In Blood
0.00 Blood/mg dm-3
33
0.01 Blood/mg dm-3
24
In Bone
0.02 p.p.m.
29
1.80 p.p.m.
15
Physical Properties
Melting Point
1,750.00 °C
17
320.90 °C
99+
Boiling Point
4,790.00 °C
8
765.00 °C
99+
Appearance
Physical State
Solid
Solid
Color
Silver
Silvery Bluish-Gray
Luster
NA
Metallic
Hardness
Mohs Hardness
3.00
12
2.00
16
Brinell Hardness
390.00 MPa
29
203.00 MPa
39
Vickers Hardness
295.00 MPa
29
Not Available
Speed of Sound
2,490.00 m/s
36
2,310.00 m/s
39
Optical Properties
Reflectivity
Not Available
67.00 %
11
Allotropes
No
No
α Allotropes
Not Available
Not Available
β Allotropes
Not Available
Not Available
γ Allotropes
Not Available
Not Available
Chemical Properties
Chemical Formula
Th
Cd
Isotopes
Known Isotopes
28
11
34
5
Electronegativity
Pauling Electronegativity
1.30
32
1.69
17
Sanderson Electronegativity
Not Available
1.98
9
Allred Rochow Electronegativity
1.11
29
1.46
15
Mulliken-Jaffe Electronegativity
Not Available
1.53
13
Allen Electronegativity
Not Available
1.52
27
Electropositivity
Pauling Electropositivity
2.70
22
2.31
37
Ionization Energies
1st Energy Level
587.00 kJ/mol
99+
867.80 kJ/mol
11
2nd Energy Level
1,110.00 kJ/mol
99+
1,631.40 kJ/mol
32
3rd Energy Level
1,978.00 kJ/mol
99+
3,616.00 kJ/mol
13
4th Energy Level
2,780.00 kJ/mol
99+
Not Available
Electrochemical Equivalent
2.16 g/amp-hr
24
2.10 g/amp-hr
27
Electron Work Function
3.41 eV
32
4.22 eV
22
Other Chemical Properties
Corrosion, Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes, Radioactivity
Chemical Stability, Anti Corrosion, Ionization, Radioactive Isotopes, Solubility
Atomic Properties
Atomic Number
90
28
48
99+
Electron Configuration
[Rn] 6d2 7s2
[Kr] 4d10 5s2
Crystal Structure
Face Centered Cubic (FCC)
Hexagonal Close Packed (HCP)
Crystal Lattice
FCC-Crystal-Structure-of-Thorium.jpg#100
HCP-Crystal-Structure-of-Cadmium.jpg#100
Atom
Number of Protons
90
28
48
99+
Number of Neutrons
142
15
64
99+
Number of Electrons
90
28
48
99+
Radius of an Atom
Atomic Radius
179.80 pm
15
151.00 pm
32
Covalent Radius
206.00 pm
7
144.00 pm
40
Van der Waals Radius
237.00 pm
15
158.00 pm
99+
Atomic Weight
232.04 amu
23
112.41 amu
99+
Atomic Volume
19.90 cm3/mol
20
13.10 cm3/mol
39
Adjacent Atomic Numbers
Valence Electron Potential
59.30 (-eV)
23
30.00 (-eV)
99+
Lattice Constant
508.42 pm
14
297.94 pm
99+
Lattice Angles
π/2, π/2, π/2
π/2, π/2, 2 π/3
Lattice C/A Ratio
Not Available
1.89
1
Mechanical Properties
Density
Density At Room Temperature
11.72 g/cm3
32
8.65 g/cm3
99+
Density When Liquid (at m.p.)
Not Available
8.00 g/cm3
28
Tensile Strength
Not Available
62.00 MPa
16
Viscosity
Not Available
Not Available
Vapor Pressure
Vapor Pressure at 2000 K
0.00 (Pa)
22
Not Available
Elasticity properties
Shear Modulus
31.00 GPa
21
19.00 GPa
35
Bulk Modulus
54.00 GPa
22
42.00 GPa
29
Young's Modulus
79.00 GPa
24
50.00 GPa
36
Poisson Ratio
0.27
20
0.30
14
Other Mechanical Properties
Ductile
Ductile, Malleable
Magnetic Properties
Magnetic Characteristics
Specific Gravity
11.70
23
8.65
36
Magnetic Ordering
Paramagnetic
Diamagnetic
Electrical Properties
Electrical Property
Superconductor
Semiconductor
Resistivity
157.00 nΩ·m
22
72.70 nΩ·m
36
Electrical Conductivity
0.07 106/cm Ω
31
0.14 106/cm Ω
15
Electron Affinity
Not Available
0.00 kJ/mol
40
Thermal Properties
Specific Heat
0.12 J/(kg K)
40
0.23 J/(kg K)
26
Molar Heat Capacity
26.23 J/mol·K
30
26.02 J/mol·K
32
Thermal Conductivity
54.00 W/m·K
28
96.60 W/m·K
16
Critical Temperature
Not Available
Not Available
Thermal Expansion
11.00 µm/(m·K)
36
30.80 µm/(m·K)
10
Enthalpy
Enthalpy of Vaporization
429.00 kJ/mol
15
100.00 kJ/mol
99+
Enthalpy of Fusion
15.48 kJ/mol
19
6.19 kJ/mol
99+
Enthalpy of Atomization
468.60 kJ/mol
15
113.00 kJ/mol
99+
Standard Molar Entropy
27.30 J/mol.K
99+
51.80 J/mol.K
27
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