Caesium (Cs)
"Meet Caesium, the hyper-reactive speedster of the alkali metals, who uses its explosive power to keep the universe's most precise clocks ticking!"
A memorable persona to anchor Cs in your mind.
1.93
Grams per cm³
28.5
Celsius (°C)
343
Radius (pm)
Daily Life Link
Ever use GPS? You're literally trusting Caesium for every turn, as it keeps your navigation spot-on!
Discovery & History
Year Discovered
1860
Discovered By
Robert Bunsen & Gustav Kirchhoff
Origin of Name
"The name comes from the Latin 'caesius', meaning sky blue, and derived from its flame colour."
Technical Properties
Atomic Mass
132.905 u
Standard State
solid
Boiling Point
671°C
Electron Configuration
[Xe] 6s1
1st Ionization Energy
3.894 eV
Electron Affinity
N/A
Oxidation States
"Shimmering golden-silver, so soft you could cut it with a butter knife!"
Did You Know?
The ultimate water-hater! Drop a tiny piece of Caesium in water, and BOOM – it explodes with incredible force, even in ice-cold conditions!
It's the 'Master Timekeeper' – atomic clocks using Caesium are so incredibly accurate, they only lose about one second every 30 million years. That's precision on another level!
Forget ice cubes, how about metal melting in your hand? Caesium melts at just 28.5 °C (83.3 °F), meaning your body heat is enough to turn this solid metal into a shiny, golden liquid!
Unlike its dull grey cousins, Caesium rocks a unique silvery-gold sheen, making it stand out in the alkali metal family.