Cadmium - Periodic Table of Videos

[maakjar]

He's too funny. Every element is always quite so nice

[ColtDeltaElite10mm]

People, don't panic. Cadmium Is still used in the electroplating industry. My company plated with cadmium and we handled cad Daily. Just dont eat it or lick your hands after you touch it. It just like handling lead. Wash your hands and don't eat the shit. Aerospace always wants their parts cadmium plated over zinc, because cadmium protects against rust better.

[ChemReubsRb]

I'm sitting here watching this eating Altoids mints. I'm sure they taste a bit funny!

[KarbineKyle]

Cadmium has a low melting point. It's used in Wood's metal, Indalloy-117, and Cerrobend, and a certain alloy was used in Terminator 2 for some special effects of the T-1000 (liquid Terminator). It's pretty amazing how many elements and chemicals we use and are exposed too in our everyday lives. The extremely rare mineral, esp. in gemstone form, Greenockite is CdS. Sphalerite is similar, but consists of Zinc instead (ZnS). Activated ZnS (Zinc Sulfide) will glow if it's exposed to alpha particles.

[omichron420]

Am I the only one who thinks that "nice container" looked like it could be an old Altoids container?  Or maybe no one cares....

[cassiavc]

I have touch cadium, but I have washed my hands after it. Does it still being dangerous?

[vmelkon]

@cassiavc I would not worry about touching it once. Don't play with it your whole life each and every day.

[nickcorn93]

to what extent is it dangerous to touch the metal in its pure form? Does there occur absorption through the skin?

[TheFlabXD]

Did he get a haircut?

[bionerd23]

cant you put on some gloves and bend one of these rods a bit? ;)

i'm really curious about how that "cadmium scream" sounds like, but cant find any display of that on the internet.

[douro20]

The name for the element cadmium comes from the Greek word for earth (kadmia).

[uut0]

i had 2 NiCd batteries too bad 1 broke and im missing the other one :(

[DjinnJuggler]

@uut0 NiCds aren't to rare, are they? My dad has a box of 50, but none of them work...

[uut0]

@DjinnJuggler they dont sell em anymore since we have better ones these days :D

[gadogado123]

On the news recently: "McDonald's Corp. is recalling 12 million glasses sold as a promotional tie-in to the latest "Shrek" movie because they contain the toxic metal cadmium."

[chentiangemalc]

can you please update video about issue with chinese toys containing 91% cadmium

[cplai]

You stated some Cadmium compounds are stable and pose no threat to people. We heard about lead-based paints that are banned in the US. How come lead paint can hurt people while cadmium paint will not. Like NaCl is safer than its components. Can you make a video on heavy metal poisoning? Explain how people can be exposed to these toxins in daily life. Please explain the chemistry and how these toxins get in and affect our body. i.e. more videos on chemistry that we encounter in daily life.

[chentiangemalc]

my understanding was the difference is Cadmium in these cases is so strongly fixed to the item, it doesn't come off, thus doesn't pose as much as a threat. although in news stories about China's toys containing cadmium, they say it is actually leaking.

[cplai]

@chentiangemalc I read in the news that. The toys jewelry are made of 91% Cadmium using sterling silver measurement standard which probably means by weight. My reading is that it is not just Cadmium compound but a close to pure metallic element. How likely pure metal get absorbed into the children's body is not mentioned in the news.

[Gerardoe52]

Cadmium can also be found on cigarettes. Camel cigarettes are the ones that have the most Cadmium in them.

[cplai]

Can you comment on the recent news on China using Cadmium for children jewelry? They found like 91% Cadmium in charms, and bracelets wore by children. Please provide info on why they became a good choice for toy jewelry? Are they very abundant in China, cheaper than lead, easy to manufactured etc. What would be the next candidate metal for Chinese toys? Depleted nuclear waste?

[williepie]

cadmium rods where used for research on splitting uranium atoms with graphite i recently learned this

[pauldve]

Cadmium & Lacey would be a good show where a cop throws batteries at criminals.

[DeltaPhi79]

This is the stuff used in old laptop batteries isn't it? If I remember correctly, nickel-cadmium in the batteries to be exact?

[joshgibbs69]

Yes, a lot of batteries are made up of Ni-Cd which is Nickel-Cadmium, in fact I just finished taking apart one :P

But, it doesnt help as Im typing this they are explaining the toxic effects of it :(

[DeltaPhi79]

Which is why you don't do it! XD.

[legominifigure7]

Yes, an alloy, though.

[douro20]

@DeltaPhi79

Nickel oxide hydroxide anode and cadmium cathode.

[NASCreations]

A role of cadmium in biology has been recently discovered. A cadmium-dependent carbonic anhydrase has been found in marine diatoms. Cd does the same job as Zn in other anhydrases, but the diatoms live in environments with very low Zn concentrations, thus biology has taken Cd rather than Zn, and made it work.

It has been said that Cd is an essential part of the Earth's biosphere, which goes against the previously held view that it's nothing but toxic and serves no ecological purpose.

[twirlywirly555]

Its used in helium cadmium laser too

nice blueish colour

[douro20]

@twirlywirly555

I've heard of metal vapor lasers before but I didn't know cadmium was used in them.

[StormRisingOriginal]

Why use a poison to color stuff? Just make a safer dye. Just because lead was "fixed" to surfaces doesn't mean it was safe. Stupidness, I swear!

[glassjb]

its allso used to give some borosilicate glass an orange or red colour

[StormRisingOriginal]

Making "safe" glass incredibly toxic.

[th1nker21]

in the firsy nuclear reactor the used cadmium rods to control the reaction..in this team of scientists was Erico Ferrmi....

[manzilla86]

Cadmium is also commonly used in nuclear reactors as a control rod. It absorbs neutrons quite nicely, so if the reaction is getting out of control, you can just lower in the rods and they will stop the fission. Unless, of course, you do some stupid tests on your nuclear power plant then are unable to power anything and it blows up, like in Chernobyl (spelling might be wrong there, sorry).

-manzilla86

[mommasboy168]

@manzilla86 the control rods in the chernobyl reactor were not cadmium they were boron with graphite tips



[manzilla86]

@mommasboy168 Good catch. I was right about them doing a stupid test but I left out the part about their control rods being composed of different material.

On a side note it is doubly as dumb because graphite at high temps is pretty unstable.

Good catch.

[TheJewishKoolAidMan]

@manzilla86 ahh chernobyl, one of the stupidest mistakes ever. it will probably happen again

[9hello123]

@TheJewishKoolAidMan No it won't.

[AKAtheA]

@manzilla86 testing for power failure is quite important for nuclear powerplants...

[soylentgreenb]

A long time ago, when canned food was high tech, the inside of the can was plated with cadmium to prevent the food from discolouring. It was eventually replaced with tin plating, which is much less toxic.

[Craydon]

I have a tube of Cadmium paint I never use because it's the only toxic pain I have. My worry overrides my need of yellow.

[purklefluff]

the paint shouldn't be toxic unless it's very very old.... many companies names their paints after the famous element in homage to the original dying methods. there's no real risk even if it does have cadmium in it.... i would honestly worry more about lead, which is far far more common in paints and in larger amounts as well.