thallium
Element eighty-one
Thallium is a soft, bluish-white metallic element, atomic number 81.
It's highly toxic—historically used in rat poisons and, notoriously, in murders because thallium poisoning mimics natural illness and is difficult to detect.
Industrial uses include electronics and specialized glass.
The element takes its name from Greek for "green shoot," after the bright green line in its emission spectrum.
Capable of causing death
- lethalCausing or capable of death
- rat poisonToxic substance targeting rodents
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
hazardous · carcinogenic · hair loss · symptoms · antidote · Prussian blue · odorless · tasteless
Closely packed together
- heavyOf great mass
- softYielding to touch
- malleableCapable of being shaped
- ductileAble to deform permanently
silvery · high density · tarnishes · corrosion · oxidizes
Systematic display of elements
- soft metalEasily deformed metallic substance
- metallicResembling ore-based elements
- ductileAble to deform permanently
- malleableCapable of being shaped
silvery-white · isotopes · protons · electrons · neutrons · nucleus · valence · orbitals
Partially conductive materials
- infrared detectorsInstruments sensing heat radiation
- photocellsDevices converting light to electricity
- thermometersHeat-measuring instruments
- fiber opticsLight-carrying cable technology
scintillation · crystal growth · electronics · optical lenses · superconductors · nuclear medicine
Fire with plant-hued color
- flame testIdentifying elements by combustion hue
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- emission spectrumLight pattern from excited atoms
- spectral linesDiscrete wavelength emission patterns
discovery · wavelength · excitation · photon · atomic emission · visible spectrum · spectrometer · coloration
Evaluating performance under strain
- nuclear medicineHealthcare using radioactive materials
- diagnosticTest to identify problems
- radioisotopeUnstable atomic nucleus variant
- heart imagingDiagnostic views of cardiovascular organ
SPECT · tracer · cardiology
poisonous
Capable of causing death
- lethalCausing or capable of death
- rat poisonToxic substance targeting rodents
- contaminationIntroduction of impurities
bioaccumulation · hazardous · carcinogenic · hair loss · symptoms · antidote · Prussian blue · odorless · tasteless · murder weapon
dense
Closely packed together
ductile · silvery · high density · tarnishes · corrosion · oxidizes
periodic table
Systematic display of elements
- soft metalEasily deformed metallic substance
- metallicResembling ore-based elements
- ductileAble to deform permanently
malleable · silvery-white · isotopes · protons · electrons · neutrons · nucleus · valence · orbitals · radioactive isotopes
semiconductors
Partially conductive materials
- infrared detectorsInstruments sensing heat radiation
- photocellsDevices converting light to electricity
- thermometersHeat-measuring instruments
fiber optics · scintillation · crystal growth · electronics · optical lenses · superconductors · nuclear medicine
green flame
Fire with plant-hued color
- flame testIdentifying elements by combustion hue
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- emission spectrumLight pattern from excited atoms
spectral lines · discovery · wavelength · excitation · photon · atomic emission · visible spectrum · spectrometer · coloration · luminescence
stress test
Evaluating performance under strain
- nuclear medicineHealthcare using radioactive materials
- diagnosticTest to identify problems
- radioisotopeUnstable atomic nucleus variant
heart imaging · SPECT · tracer · cardiology
- elementsoxygen, hydrogen, carbon, helium, nitrogen
- hazardsfire hazard, fire hazards, toxin, contamination, tripping hazard
- metalsaluminum, steel, copper, iron, gold
- main group elementshydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron
- Toxicspoison, poisons, toxins, toxicity, carcinogens
- hazardous substancescyanide, arsine, mustard gas, nerve gas, phosgene