Sources, Production, Important Compounds, and Uses

Cesium is very scarce in the Earth s cmst, with an average cmstal content of about 0.65 parts per million, or 6.5x10 %. In cmstal rocks the potassium cesium ratio is 2700 1 (Fleischer, 1954), and in sea water it is 770000 1 (Wessling, 1967). 

There are no large cesium deposits within the Earth s cmst. The cesium-containing mineral Pollucite is extremely scarce, and is found on Pegmatite streaks in Sweden, South-West-Africa, USA and Canada. Pollucite is used to obtain both cesium and its compounds. Cesium is also produced by the accumulation of its traces in certain potassium-containing minerals or mineral waters. Por example, cesium traces in the potassium mineral Camalite (KCl-MgClj-bHjO) are enriched by repeated recrystallization. Otherwise, elemental cesium is obtained by the reaction of cesium hydroxide with metallic magnesium in a hydrogen atmosphere. 

Monocrystals of cesium bromide or cesium iodide are used as lenses in infrared spectroscopes according to their infrared transmission characteristics. Occasionally, cesium halogenide-monocrystals are used in scintillation techniques for a- or 3-spec-troscopy. 

The radioactive isotopes of cesium are much more important in technical terms, especially the long-living jCs, which can be obtained relatively simply and cheaply from radioactive waste produced by uranium-based nuclear reactors. jCs is used as a y-irradiation source for technical (metallurgical) and medical applications. 

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Sources, Production, Important Compounds and Uses, Waste Products, and Recycling... 

Sources, Production, Important Compounds, Uses, Waste Products, and Recycling TOSS Tab. 20.2 Supply of Pt, Pd and Rh by regions, 1975 to 2002. Values in 1000 oz. (Kendall 2002a,b)... 

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