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Cadmium Sulphate is an inorganic compound which consists of one cadmium atom surrounded by one sulphur atom and four oxygen atoms . It is a white colour, crystalline solid that is easily soluble in water. Cadmium Sulphate is a natural element present in the earth’s crust. After mercury and lead, it is considered the next important element categorised into the list of environmental pollutants. Cadmium Sulphate has a structural formula represented by CdSO4. It forms toxic fumes of cadmium oxides when it is heated. Other names of Cadmium Sulphate are sulfuric acid and cadmium salt.
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Keyterms: Cadmium, Inorganic compound, Atom, Sulphur, Sulphuric acid, Mercury, Lead, Oxygen, Crystalline solid, Ionic bonds
Cadmium Sulphate Formula
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The structural formula of Cadmium Sulphate is CdSO4·xH2O, where ‘x’ represents the number of water molecules attached to Cadmium Sulphate. Cadmium Sulphate comprises one positively charged cadmium atom (Cd+2), one positively charged sulphur atom and four negatively charged oxygen atoms. All these elements form ionic bonds with each. Moreover, one of the negatively charged oxygen atoms forms double bond with sulphur atom.
Formula of Cadmium Sulphate
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Structure of Cadmium Sulphate
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The most common form of Cadmium Sulphate is CdSO4·8⁄3 H2O and anhydrous salt with structural formula CdSO4. When X-rays are passed through cadmium sulphate, we find that each Cadmium atom has octahedral coordination at its centre and is surrounded by 4 oxygen atoms provided by 4 sulphate ligands.
Structure of Cadmium Sulphate
General Properties of Cadmium Sulphate
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Some of the physical and chemical properties exhibited by Cadmium Sulphate are:
- The chemical formula of Cadmium Sulphate is written as CdSO4 or CdO4S.
- Its molecular weight is 208.47 g/mol and density is 4.691 g/cm3 (anhydrous).
- When heated, it decomposes to basic sulphate first and then to oxide.
- The melting point of CdSO4 is 1,000 °C.
- It’s crystalline structure is orthorhombic in nature.
- It has a bluish or silver-white appearance.
- It is soft, ductile and malleable and usually occurs as a mineral of other elements.
Preparation of Cadmium Sulphate
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Cadmium sulphate hydrate can be prepared by the reaction of cadmium metal with dilute sulfuric acid. Its chemical equation is:
CdO + H2SO4 → CdSO4 + H2O
Cd + H2SO4 → CdSO4 + H2
Cadmium sulphates occur as a rare mineral drobecite (CdSO4·4H2O), voudouri site (monohydrate), and lazaridi site (the 8/3-hydrate).
Applications of Cadmium Sulphate
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Some of the industrial applications of Cadmium Sulphate are:
- Cadmium sulphate is mostly used in electroplating cadmium on electric circuits. Also, it is used as a pigment in fluorescent screens.
- Cadmium sulphate is used in the production of solar cells. It is also used as a buffer layer in manufacturing CIGS (Copper -Indium-Gallium-Selenide) solar cells. It is becoming more affordable and reasonable.
- Cadmium sulphide exists in two different polymorphs, hexagonal greenockite and cubic hawleyite. Greenockite is a hexagonal rare mineral and it has only one real ore of cadmium. Cubic hawleyite is another polymorph of cadmium sulphide; it is a rare sulphide mineral that is dimorphous and easily confused with greenockite.
- Some other uses of Cadmium sulphate are that it is used as a chemical bath deposition, in photoresistors for light sensors and also in light-dependent resistors.
Things to Remember
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- Cadmium Sulphate is mainly used for electroplating cadmium in electric circuits.
- It is naturally found in Earth’s crust.
- It is white or yellowish in colour and is soft as mercury and lead and can be easily cut by a knife.
- Cadmium sulphate is toxic for human beings; it has adverse effects on human kidneys, lungs and respiratory problems.
- Its chemical formula is CdSO4 and has an octahedral strcutyre.
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Sample Questions
Ques. Is cadmium sulphate toxic in nature? (2 marks)
Ans. Yes, cadmium sulphate is toxic. It may affect the human body and may result in kidney replacement; it may also cause chronic inflammation of the respiratory system. It has harmful effects on human’s kidneys, bones and respiratory tracts. Cadmium sulphate is carcinogenic to humans. Two forms of cadmium sulphate are most toxic; these are cadmium chloride (CdCl2) and cadmium oxide (CDO).
Ques. Is Cadmium sulphate used in food materials? (2 marks)
Ans. Chocolate contains many useful nutrients which are good for our health, but sometimes it is contaminated by cadmium. It is present in the soil of the cocoa plant and contaminates the cocoa seeds. It is present naturally in the soil due to any volcanic activity, forest fires and also weathering of the soil are some of the reasons.
Ques. Which crops are most likely to be contaminated by cadmium sulphate? (2 marks)
Ans. Crops like wheat and rice are most likely to be contaminated by cadmium sulphate. They take up the cadmium present in the soil. Cadmium is also present in the chemical fertilisers and the waste discharges from the factories and enters the soil and the crops also get contaminated.
Ques. What are the side effects of cadmium on our body? How is cadmium toxicity diagnosed? (3 marks)
Ans. When cadmium enters the human body, it may have adverse effects on the different parts of the body. So it is very important to remove cadmium from the body. Vitamin E and C are natural non-enzymatic antioxidants that may decrease their effects on the body. Vitamin supplementation is very effective against the toxic cadmium sulphate.
The diagnostic process for cadmium involves tests that determine the level of cadmium concentration in blood, nails, saliva or Urine. Kidneys are the main organ affected by cadmium poisoning. Hence, urine tests play an important role in diagnosis.
Ques. How can cadmium be removed from water? Is it a good conductor? (2 marks)
Ans. Cadmium can be removed from water by adding sodium from the cation exchanger (softener). It can be removed by reverse Osmosis, with around 98-99% cadmium can be removed from cadmium.
Electrolyte means a good conductor of electricity and nonelectrolyte means the substance which cannot conduct electricity. Cadmium sulphate comes under the category of weak salt so it is a weak electrolyte. Hence, it cannot conduct electricity.
Ques. Compute the molar mass of cadmium sulphate. (2 marks)
Ans. The chemical formula of cadmium sulphate is CdSO4. Hence, its molar mass will be the sum of molar masses of one cadmium atom, one sulphur atom and four oxygen atoms.
= 112.411 + 32.065 + 15.9994 × 4
= 208.47 gram per mol.
Ques. Is Cadmium sulphate soluble in water? How can we obtain it? (3 marks)
Ans. Cadmium sulphate is highly soluble in water. Cadmium sulphate belongs to the series of inorganic compounds. Its formula is CdSO4·xH2O. The two most common forms of cadmium sulphate are monohydrate and anhydrous salt. All these salts are colourless and highly soluble in water.
Cadmium comes under the category of mineral. It is a soft, solid, malleable, bluish-white metal that is found in Zinc ores and also in the cadmium mineral greenockite. Mostly the cadmium produced is obtained from zinc byproducts.
Ques. How is cadmium mined? (2 marks)
Ans. Cadmium is mainly found as a byproduct of the concentration of zinc metal from sulphide ores. The Zinc ores are then crushed to liberate the zinc sulphide particles. Cadmium can also be recovered from the byproduct of beneficiation and refining lead ores or complex copper-zinc ores.
Cadmium was first found as a condensation of vapours that had risen out of the furnace in which zinc oxide was being roasted.
Ques. Give cadmium reactions through group 2 analysis. (3 marks)
Ans. The reaction mechanism is as follows:
Ques. How many grams of calcium is deposited from aqueous solution of calcium sulphate, CdSO4 when electric current of 0.2 A flows through the solution for 4 hours? (5 marks)
Ans. Given,
Time = 5 hours
Current = 0.2 A
Molar Mass of Cadmium = 112.41 g/mol
Also, 1F = 96500 C/mol e-
The cathode reaction is
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