Thallium(I) sulfate
Encyclopedia
Thallium sulfate (Tl2SO4), archaically known as thallous sulfate, is the sulfate
salt of thallium
. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, but highly toxic.
. Tl2SO4 is mostly used today as a source of Tl+ in the research laboratory. It is a precursor to thallium(I) sulfide
(Tl2S), which exhibits high electrical conductivity when exposed to infrared
light.
. Thallium(I) sulfate crystals have a C2 symmetry.
and sodium
cations, which are essential for life. After the thallium ion enters the cell, many of the processes that transport potassium and sodium
are disrupted. Due to its poisonous nature, many western countries have banned the use of thallium sulfate in products for home use and many companies have also stopped using this compound.
A dosage in excess of 500 mg is reported as fatal. Thallium sulfate, after entering the body, concentrates itself in the kidneys, liver, brain, and other tissues in the body.
Thallium sulfate was used in Israel
to control the rodent population; it is suspected that in the 1950s, this resulted in the disappearance of the Brown Fish Owl
.
Sulfate
In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...
salt of thallium
Thallium
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. This soft gray poor metal resembles tin but discolors when exposed to air. The two chemists William Crookes and Claude-Auguste Lamy discovered thallium independently in 1861 by the newly developed method of flame spectroscopy...
. It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless, but highly toxic.
Uses
During the last two centuries, Tl2SO4 had been used for various medical treatments but was abandoned. In the later 1900s it found use mainly for rodenticides. These applications were prohibited in 1975 in the US due to the nonselective nature of its toxicity. Thallium(I) sulfate inhibits the growth of plants by preventing germinationGermination
Germination is the process in which a plant or fungus emerges from a seed or spore, respectively, and begins growth. The most common example of germination is the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an angiosperm or gymnosperm. However the growth of a sporeling from a spore, for example the...
. Tl2SO4 is mostly used today as a source of Tl+ in the research laboratory. It is a precursor to thallium(I) sulfide
Thallium(I) sulfide
Thallium sulfide, Tl2S, is a chemical compound of thallium and sulfur.It was used in some of the earliest photo-electric detectors by T. Case who developed the so-called thalofide cell, used in early film projectors...
(Tl2S), which exhibits high electrical conductivity when exposed to infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
light.
Structure
Tl2SO4 adopts the same structure as K2SO4. In aqueous solution, the thallium(I) cations and the sulfate anions are separated and highly solvatedSolvation
Solvation, also sometimes called dissolution, is the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules or ions of a solute...
. Thallium(I) sulfate crystals have a C2 symmetry.
Toxicity
Thallium(I) sulfate is soluble in water and its toxic effects are derived from the thallium(I) cation. The mean lethal dose of thallium(I) sulfate for an adult is about 1 gram. Since thallium sulfate is a simple powder with indistinctive properties, it can easily be mistaken for more innocuous chemicals. It can enter the body by ingestion, inhalation, or through contact with the skin. The thallium(I) cation is very similar to potassiumPotassium
Potassium is the chemical element with the symbol K and atomic number 19. Elemental potassium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive with water, generating sufficient heat to ignite the hydrogen emitted in the reaction.Potassium and sodium are...
and sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
cations, which are essential for life. After the thallium ion enters the cell, many of the processes that transport potassium and sodium
Na+/K+-ATPase
Na+/K+-ATPase is an enzyme located in the plasma membrane in all animals.- Sodium-potassium pumps :Active transport is responsible for cells containing relatively high...
are disrupted. Due to its poisonous nature, many western countries have banned the use of thallium sulfate in products for home use and many companies have also stopped using this compound.
A dosage in excess of 500 mg is reported as fatal. Thallium sulfate, after entering the body, concentrates itself in the kidneys, liver, brain, and other tissues in the body.
Thallium sulfate was used in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
to control the rodent population; it is suspected that in the 1950s, this resulted in the disappearance of the Brown Fish Owl
Brown Fish Owl
The Brown Fish Owl is an owl. This species is a part of the family known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most living owls. It inhabits the warm subtropical and humid tropical parts of continental Asia and some offshore islands.The four fish owls were previously generally separated in...
.
Sources
External links
- International Chemical Safety Card 0336
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
- Pesticide Data Sheet (WHOWhoWho may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
/FAOFãoFão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
) - Kaunas University of Technology
- University of Wisconsin-Madison Chemistry Department
- Smithsonian National Zoological Park