cesium


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ce·si·um

 (sē′zē-əm)
n. Symbol Cs
A soft, silvery-white ductile, metallic element that is the most electropositive and alkaline of the elements and is used in atomic clocks and photoelectric cells and to catalyze hydrogenation of some organic compounds. The fundamental unit of time in the International System, the second, is based on the frequency of radiation between two energy states in an atom of the Cs-133 isotope. Atomic number 55; atomic weight 132.905; melting point 28.44°C; boiling point 671°C; specific gravity 1.873; valence 1. See Periodic Table.

[From Latin caesius, bluish gray (from its blue spectral lines).]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cesium

(ˈsiːzɪəm)
n
(Elements & Compounds) the usual US spelling of caesium
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ce•si•um

(ˈsi zi əm)

n.
a rare highly reactive soft metallic element of the alkali metal group used chiefly in photoelectric cells. Symbol: Cs; at. wt.: 132.905; at. no.: 55; sp. gr.: 1.9 at 20°C; melts at 28.5°C.
[1861; < Latin caesium, neuter of caesius bluish gray (see -ium2); so named from the blue lines in its spectrum]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

ce·si·um

(sē′zē-əm)
Symbol Cs A soft, easily shaped, silvery-white element that is an alkali metal. It is liquid at room temperature and is the most reactive of all metals. Cesium is used to make photoelectric cells, electron tubes, and atomic clocks. Atomic number 55. See Periodic Table.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.cesium - a soft silver-white ductile metallic element (liquid at normal temperatures)cesium - a soft silver-white ductile metallic element (liquid at normal temperatures); the most electropositive and alkaline metal
metal, metallic element - any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
cesium 137 - a radioactive isotope of cesium used in radiation therapy
pollucite - a rare mineral that is an important source of cesium
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

ce·si·um

n. cesio, elemento metálico perteneciente al grupo de metales alcalinos.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in periodicals archive ?
According to TEPCO, the density of radioactive cesium in groundwater collected Tuesday from an observation well by the sea soared over 100 times higher than the level in water taken Friday.
Most of the cesium from Fukushima came from the millions of gallons of water poured onto the reactors during efforts to cool them, which subsequently flowed into the ocean as runoff or via groundwater.
"Cesium levels have not decreased 1 year after the accidenta[bar] and as of August 2012, fish are still being found with cesium levels above" the new regulatory level, Buesseler wrote.
Cesium-137, the most common radioactive form of the metal cesium, is commonly used for the treatment of cancer and in a variety of gauges in the construction and drilling industries, but it can be used in nuclear weapon production as well.
Concern over tainted meat reaching market was heightened Friday by a Tokyo metropolitan government and Yamagata prefectural government announcement that radioactive cesium at levels exceeding the safety limit had been found in beef from cattle shipped from a farm in Asakawa, Fukushima Prefecture, to a slaughterhouse in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.
"Iodine was found at all 12 sites, including Seoul, while cesium was only detected in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers east of Seoul," KINS president Yun Choul-ho said at a news conference.
To track time, a cesium clock exploits the absorption of microwaves by a cloud of cesium atoms (SN: 9/4/04, p.
Its main component is a paraffin-coated, 7 cm diameter glass cell containing a droplet of cesium. The Cs atoms in the vapor are optically pumped by a circularly polarized light beam, oriented at 45[degrees] to the magnetic field.
The company did not assay for cesium, rubidium or lithium.
Cesium beam standards use the highly stable and repeatable characteristics of the cesium atom to produce accurate and stable output frequencies.
The core's coating did its job of sealing out radioactive contaminants from the concrete beneath, but researchers conducted experiments to better understand how cesium and strontium isotopes would behave should a coating be breached.