Tellurium : Study
Physicists recently found evidence that tellurium is produced in neutron star mergers.
- Tellurium is a semi-metallic, lustrous, crystalline, brittle, silver-white element.
- Atomic Number: 52
- It has the properties of both metals and nonmetals.
- It forms many compounds corresponding to those of sulphurand selenium.
- When burned in the air, tellurium has a greenish-blue flame and forms tellurium dioxide as a result.
- Tellurium is a semiconductor material and is slightly photosensitive.
- It is one of the only elements that readily combine with gold (Au).
- Tellurium is sometimes found free in nature.
- More commonly, it is found combined with metals, such as in the minerals calaverite (gold telluride, AuTe2) and sylvanite (silver-gold telluride).
- Commercially, tellurium is obtained as a byproduct of electrolytic copper refining.
- Tellurium is alloyed with copper and stainless steel to make these metals more workable.
- It is added at very low levels to lead to decreases the corrosive action of sulfuric acid in batteries and to improve the lead’s strength and hardness.
