Element:	Cadmium
Symbol:	Cd
Atomic number:	48
Atomic weight:	112.411(8)
Electron configuration:	[Kr] 4d10 5s2
Ground level:	1S0
Ionization potential:	8.9938 ev
Physical form:	Silvery-white metal
Melting point:	321.069°C
Boiling point:	767°C
Critical temperature:
Density:	8.69 g/cm3
Specific heat:	0.231 J/g•K
Valence	2

Origin of name: L. cadmia; Gr. kadmeia - ancient name for calamine, zinc carbonate

Discovered by Stromeyer in 1817 from an impurity in zinc carbonate.

Cadmium most often occurs in small quantities associated with zinc ores, such as sphalerite (ZnS). Greenockite (CdS) is the only mineral of any consequence bearing cadmium. Almost all cadmium is obtained as a by-product in the treatment of zinc, copper, and lead ores.

It is a soft, bluish-white metal which is easily cut with a knife. It is similar in many respects to zinc. It is a component of some of the lowest melting alloys; it is used in bearing alloys with low coefficients of friction and great resistance to fatigue; it is used extensively in electroplating, which accounts for about 60% of its use. It is also used in many types of solder, for standard E.M.F. cells, for Ni-Cd batteries, and as a barrier to control atomic fission. The market for Ni-Cd batteries is expected to grow significantly. Cadmium compounds are used in black and white television phosphors and in blue and green phosphors for color TV tubes.

It forms a number of salts, of which the sulfate is most common; the sulfide is used as a yellow pigment. Cadmium and solutions of its compounds are toxic. Failure to appreciate the toxic properties of cadmium may cause workers to be unwittingly exposed to dangerous fumes. Some silver solders, for example, contain cadmium and should be handled with care. Serious toxicity problems have been found from long-term exposure and work with cadmium plating baths. Cadmium is present in certain phosphate rocks. This has raised concerns that the long-term use of certain phosphate fertilizers might pose a health hazard from levels of cadmium that might enter the food chain.

In 1927 the International Conference on Weights and Measures redefined the meter in terms of the wavelength of the red cadmium spectral line (i.e., 1 m = 1,553,164.13 wavelengths). This definition has since been changed (see under Krypton).

The current price of cadmium is about 50¢/g (99.5%). It is available in high purity form for about $550/kg. Natural cadmium is made of eight isotopes. Thirty four other isotopes and isomers are now known and recognized.