Cesium amalgam

Cesium forms simple alkyl and aryl compounds that are similar to those of the other alkah metals (6). They are colorless, sohd, amorphous, nonvolatile, and insoluble, except by decomposition, in most solvents except diethylzinc. As a result of exceptional reactivity, cesium aryls should be effective in alkylations wherever other alkaline alkyls or Grignard reagents have failed (see Grignard reactions). Cesium reacts with hydrocarbons in which the activity of a C—H link is increased by attachment to the carbon atom of doubly linked or aromatic radicals. A brown, sohd addition product is formed when cesium reacts with ethylene, and a very reactive dark red powder, triphenylmethylcesium [76-83-5] (C H )2CCs, is formed by the reaction of cesium amalgam and a solution of triphenylmethyl chloride in anhydrous ether. 

The direct metallothermic reduction of pollucite ore with sodium metal is the primary commercial source of cesium metal. In the process, raw pollucite ore is reduced with sodium molten metal at ca. 650"C to form a sodium-cesium alloy containing some rubidium as impurity. Fractional distillation of this alloy in a distillation column at ca. 700"C produces 99.9 wt.% pure cesium metal. Cesium can also be obtained pyrometallurgiccdly reducing the chloride CsCl with calcium metal or the hydroxide CsOH with magnesium metal. Nevertheless, the electrolytic recovery of a cesium amalgam from an aqueous solution of cesium chloride can be achieved in a process similar to the chlor-alkali production with a mercury cathode. Afterwards, the cesium is removed from the amalgam by vacuum distillation. However, cesium metal is produced in rather limited amounts because of its relatively high cost (US 40,800 /kg)... 

Rubidium can be liquid at room temperature. It is a soft, silvery-white metallic element of the alkali group and is the second most electropositive and alkaline element. It ignites spontaneously in air and reacts violently in water, setting fire to the liberated hydrogen. As with other alkali metals, it forms amalgams with mercury and it alloys with gold, cesium, sodium, and potassium. It colors a flame yellowish violet. Rubidium metal can be prepared by reducing rubidium chloride with calcium, and by a number of other methods. It must be kept under a dry mineral oil or in a vacuum or inert atmosphere. 

The only metals having good or excellent resistance to corrosion by amalgamation with mercury are vanadium, iron, niobium, molybdenum, cesium, tantalum, and tungsten (8). The diffusion rates of some metals in mercury are given in Table 5. 

Rubidium alloys easily with potassium, sodium, silver, and gold, and forms amalgams with mercury. Rubidium and potassium arc completely miscible 111 the solid state. Cesium and rubidium form an uninterrupted series of solid solutions. These alloys, in various combinations, are used mainly as getters for removing the last traces of air in htgh-vacmim devices and systems. 

Cement, laboratory, 189 Cerium amalgam, 15 Cesium, metallic, 79 Chloroamine, 59 Chlorides, anhydrous, 28, 29 of silicon, 42 Chloroplumbic acid, 48 Chromi-oxalates, 37 Chromous acetate, 122 Chromous chloride, 124, 125 solution, 124 tetrahydrate, 126 trihydrate, 126 Cinnabar, 20 Cobalti-oxalates, 37... 

Cement, laboratory, 1 189 Cerite, extraction of, 2 44 Cerium, phosphor containing strontium sulfide and, 3 23 separation of, from rare earth mixtures, 2 43, 47, 48 test for, 2 50 Cerium amalgam, 1 15 Cerium-group earths, separation of, from yttrium earths by doublesulfate method, 2 44, 46 Cerium (III) magnesium nitrate, 2Ce(N03)s-3Mg(N03)2-24H,0, separation of praseodymium from lanthanum by, 2 57 Cerium(III) nitrate, 2 51 Cerium (IV) nitrate, basic, 2 49 Cesium, cesium azide for preparation of, 1 79... 

In 1973, Mikheev et al. reported that a stable, monovalent Md ion could be produced in ethanol solutions and that it co-crystallized with CsQ [45]. However, Samhoun and co-workers studied the overall reduction of Md to the amalgam using controlled potential electrolysis they concluded that Md could not be considered a cesium-like element and no evidence was obtained consistent with a monovalent state [46,47]. Hulet et al. have recently repeated some of the co-crystallization experiments of Mikheev and performed a series of new experiments in an attempt to prepare Md by reduction with Sm in ethanol solutions and also in fused KQ media [37]. In these experiments, the behavior of Md was compared to tracer amounts of 3-i-, 2-i-, and 1-i-ions and Md consistently followed the 2 -i- ions. They concluded that Md cannot be reduced to a monovalent state with Sm as daimed by Mikheev. However, on the basis of the results of thermodynamic studies of the co-crystallization process of mendelevium with chlorides of alkali metals, the Russian investigators maintain that Md can be reduced to the monovalent state in water-ethanol solutions and that the co-crystallization of Md with salts of divalent ions can be explained as being due to the formation of mixed crystals [102,103]. An ionic radius of 1.17 A was calculated for Md from the results of the co-crystallization studies [104]. 

Amalgams Cesium Lithium Potassium Sodium Rubidium Also see Silver-silver chloride Also see Silver-silver chloride Also see Silver-silver chloride Also see Silver-silver chloride Also see Silvei silver chloride Also see Silver-silver chloride... 

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