Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and like mercury it shows a low melting point compared to transition metals.
A stylized shell model. Electrons are quantum objects, not particles following these literal paths. Sizes and motion are illustrative.
36 is the [Kr] core total across four shells.
At a glance
- Atomic number
- 48
- Atomic mass
- 112.4144 u
- Phase
- Solid
- Density
- 8.65 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 594.22 K
- Boiling point
- 1,040 K
- First ionization energy
- 867.8 kJ/mol
- Electronegativity
- 1.69
- Electron affinity
- -68 kJ/mol
- Molar heat capacity
- 26.02 J/(mol·K)
- Period
- 5
- Appearance
- silvery bluish-gray metallic
Conditions and isotopes affect measured properties. Some properties of short-lived elements are predicted. Electronegativity uses the Pauling scale.
Keep exploring
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