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How Abundant Is Cesium?

Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff discovered cesium in 1859 after using a spectrometer on some nearby spring water. Not much cesium occurs in nature because it is highly reactive.

  1. Identification

    • Cesium makes up about one to three parts per million in the Earth's crust, according to the website Chemistry Explained. This ranks at around the middle of the pack for all elements.

    Significance

    • As of 2010, there are no known cesium mines operating in the United States, meaning it must import all of its cesium needs.

    Fun Fact

    • Most of the 20 tons of cesium produced each year comes from Bernic Lake in Canada, with a few other deposits in Zimbabwe and South-West Africa, according to water-treatment solution website Lenntech.

    Types

    • All of the Cesium found naturally on Earth comes in the form of one isotope: Cesium-133. Cesium also commonly comes in the form of Cesium-137, but this only forms from nuclear fission reactions.

    Considerations

    • Although cesium is much less abundant than the other alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium and francium), it is considered the most active metal, according to Chemistry Explained.

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