Chemical Properties
White/clear cryst. powder
History
Someone has found that CsCl is described as showing a blue glow in the dark. It is interpreted that light can be caused by the collision of subatomic particles that escape from the nucleus of cesium 137 and collide with electrons located on the periphery of the atom, so the energy of the electrons increases, to return to the previous equilibrium state, the electrons release the excess of energy emitting light.
It is also explained that because it is a highly active light source used in cancer treatment, blue light can be seen by the naked eye. The blue light is due to fluorescent UV dominant optical emission caused by beta, gamma, and Ba X-ray emissions from within the same excited 137-Cs atoms by a previously unknown atomic phenomenon, now known as Padmanabha Rao effect. But looking at Wikipedia, the IAEA report does not explain whether the blue light emitted by 137-c is fluorescence or Cerenkov radiation.
Application
Cesium chloride has been used in the generation of discontinuous gradient for the purification of Cryptosporidium oocysts and as a component of acetamide medium for fungal selection.
Cesium chloride may be employed in gel-electrophoresis and RNA purification studies. It may be employed for the isolation of bacterial plasmid from Agrobacterium spp.
Definition
ChEBI: The inorganic chloride salt of caesium; each caesium ion is coordinated by eight chlorine ions.
Brand name
Cescan-131 (Abbott).
General Description
Cesium chloride is a cesium halide. Cesium halides can be prepared by reacting cesium carbonate with corresponding hydrohalic acids. Cesium chloride ultracentrifugation method has been reported for the extraction of RNA from cellular fractions.
Health Hazard
Whereas conventional caesium chloride has a rather low toxicity to humans and animals, the radioactive form easily contaminates the environment due to the high solubility of CsCl in water. Spread of 137CsCl powder from a 93-gram container in 1987 in Goiania, Brazil, resulted in one of the worst-ever radiation spill accidents killing four and directly affecting 249 people.
Flammability and Explosibility
Nonflammable
Biochem/physiol Actions
Oral intake of cesium chloride is known to increase the pH in cancer cells. Mild toxicity of cesium chloride might cause hypotension, gastrointestinal distress, numbness and syncope. It also leads to severe hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, acute heart attack and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in episodes.
Purification Methods
It is soluble in H2O but can be purified by crystallisation from H2O [solublity in g percent: 162.3(0.7o), 182.2(16.2o) and 290(at bp 119.4o)] and dried in high a vacuum. It is soluble in EtOH and is deliquescent; keep it in a tightly closed container. [D.nges in Handbook of Preparative Inorganic Chemistry (Ed. Brauer) Academic Press Vol I pp 951-955 1963.] For further purification of CsCl, a concentrated aqueous solution of the practically pure reagent is treated with an equivalent weight of I2 and Cl2 is bubbled into the solution until preciptation of CsCl2I is complete. Recrystallisation yields a salt which is free from other alkali metals. It is then decomposed to pure CsCl on heating. [Harned & Schupp J Am Chem Soc 52 3886 1930.] It can also be recrystallised from acetone/water, or from water (0.5mL/g) by cooling in a CaCl2/ice bath. Dry it at 78o under vacuum.
