55CsCesium132.905451966[Xe] 6s¹
alkali metal

Cesium

Caesium or cesium is a chemical element with symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal with a melting point of 28 °C (82 °F), which makes it one of only five elemental metals that are liquid at or near room temperature. Caesium is an alkali metal and has physical and chemical properties similar to those of rubidium and potassium.

Electronic structure

A stylized shell model. Electrons are quantum objects, not particles following these literal paths. Sizes and motion are illustrative.

Electrons by shell
Electron configuration
6s1

54 is the [Xe] core total across five shells.

Properties

At a glance

Atomic number
55
Atomic mass
132.905452 u
Phase
Solid
Density
1.93 g/cm³
Melting point
301.7 K
Boiling point
944 K
First ionization energy
375.7 kJ/mol
Electronegativity
0.79
Electron affinity
45.505 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity
32.21 J/(mol·K)
Period
6
Appearance
silvery gold

Conditions and isotopes affect measured properties. Some properties of short-lived elements are predicted. Electronegativity uses the Pauling scale.

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Explore the stories, imagery, and reference data in more depth. Properties with no value in the reference are marked unavailable.