What is Thallium

Named after the Greek word 'Thallos', Thallium is a soft, grey metal. It is a poor and malleable metal, soft enough to be cut with a knife at room temperature. Thallos means a green twig and thallium was named so for it's green spectral line. Thallium is highly toxic in nature and hence needs to handled with care. Thallium is very shiny though it dulls quickly in presence of oxygen. With the process of oxidation, thallium turns bluish grey and resembles lea. I order to prevent the oxidation of thallium which ends discoloring it, thallium has to be stored in mineral oils. Thallium is a toxic metal and should never come in contact with skin.

Uses of Thallium

Thallium is mainly used in electronic industry. Out of 70% of it's annual global production is used up in electronic industry. Rest of it is used in pharmaceutical industry for the production of nuclear medicine and also by the glass industry. Thallium is also used for the treatment of ringworm and other skin infections despite of it's toxic nature. Thallium sulfate is effectively used as a rodent killer and an ant killer as it is odorless and tasteless. 

What is Promethium

Silvery white in colour, Promethium is considered an harmful element due to its radioactivity. It was discovered by American chemists J. A. Marinsky, L. E. Glendenin and Charles Coryell in the year 1947. When discovered it was noted that Promethium would be only rare radioactive metal on earth. Though silvery white in colour, the salts of Promethium have red or pink colour which turn luminescence with a pale blue or green glow. Promethium derived its name from Prometheus, a Greek mythological figure.

Uses of Promethium

1. It is used to measure the thickness of materials like metal sheets.

2. It is used in atomic batteries, space craft and guided missiles.

3. It is also used as a portable x-ray source and a heat source which offers auxiliary power for space probes and satellites. 

What is Borax

Sources: Google images

A natural white powder mineral formed from a colourless crystal, Borax was discovered in the dry lake beds of Tibet. Borax is known to easily dissolve in water. It has a high alkaline structure and has a pH level of 9.3. The chemical formula of Borax is a combination of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. Though considered safe to the planet, yet large amounts of Borax can pose a threat to the plants and animal species.

Borax is used on  large scale for manufacturing soaps and detergents. Due to it's alkaline properties and water solubility, borax is known to remove tough stain. Other than that, Borax is also used in manufacture of dyes, fungicides, pesticides, enamels, glazes and fire-proofing compounds. A large amount of borax is also known to be used in tanning industry.