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Cadmium

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

A close-up of a pure cadmium crystal bar next to a small cadmium cube for size comparison.

What Is Cadmium?

Cadmium is a soft, silvery-white metal found in very small amounts in the Earth's crust. It looks shiny and can be bent easily. People first found cadmium in Germany in 1817.

Where Do We Find It?

Cadmium is often found with zinc ores. When people mine zinc, they sometimes find cadmium mixed in. It is rare, making up only about 0.1 parts per million of the Earth's crust. Small amounts can also be found in rivers, rocks, and even in some plants.

How Is It Used?

Cadmium has been used to help protect steel from rust. It was also used in colorful paints and glass. Today, it is used in some special batteries and to help control reactions in nuclear reactors. Scientists also use it in certain solar panels and light-detecting devices.

Cadmium can be found in very small amounts in some foods like chocolate and seafood, but there are rules to keep these amounts safe.

Images

A scientific diagram showing the emission spectrum of the element Cadmium, used in physics and chemistry to study atomic behavior.
A scientific graph showing the nuclear properties of the element Cadmium, useful for learning about materials science and nuclear physics.
Chart showing global cadmium production in the year 2010.
Picture of different nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries, including AA and AAA sizes.
A scientific illustration showing tiny particles called quantum dots, which can glow in different colors and are used in advanced testing for harmful microbes.
A scientific image showing the blue light emitted by a helium-cadmium (HeCd) laser.
A beautiful view of the Jinzu River in Toyama, Japan, taken from Ōsawano Bridge.
Portrait of Friedrich Stromeyer, a German chemist known for his discovery of cadmium.
A sample of cadmium metal shown for educational purposes.
A yellow powder sample of cadmium sulfide, a chemical compound studied in science.

Related articles

Earth's crust
Steel
Chocolate

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Cadmium, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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