Cadmium Tech Report
Overview
Cadmium is a transition metal. The transition metals are the elements found in Rows 4 through 7 between Groups 2 and 13 in the periodic table, a chart that shows how elements are related. Cadmium was discovered by German chemist Friedrich Stromeyer (1776-1835) in 1817. It is found most commonly in ores of zinc.
Cadmium is a soft metal that is easily cut with a knife. It resembles zinc in many of its physical and chemical properties. However, it is much less abundant in the Earth's crust than zinc.
By far the most important use of cadmium in the United States is in the production of nicad (nickel-cadmium), or rechargeable, batteries. It is also used in pigments, coatings and plating, manufacture of plastic products, and alloys. An alloy is made by melting and mixing two or more metals. The mixture has properties different from those of the individual metals.
SYMBOL
Cd

ATOMIC NUMBER
48

ATOMIC MASS
112.41

FAMILY
Group 12 (IIB)
Transition metal

Physical properties
Cadmium is a shiny metal with a bluish cast (shade) to it. It is very soft and can almost be scratched with a fingernail. Its melting point is 321°C (610°F) and its boiling point is 765°C(1,410°F). The density of cadmium is 8.65 grams per cubic centimeter.
An interesting property of cadmium is its effect in alloys. In combination with certain metals, it lowers the melting point. Some common low-melting-point alloys are Lichtenberg's metal, Abel's metal, Lipowitz' metal, Newton's metal, and Wood's metal.
Chemical properties
Cadmium reacts slowly with oxygen in moist air at room temperatures, forming cadmium oxide:
Cadmium does not react with water, though it reacts with most acids.