Thallium
Talio (Tl, Z=81)
- Date
- 1861 · confidence high
- Place
- London, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- William Crookes (and Claude-Auguste Lamy)
- People
- 👤 Claude-Auguste Lamy1820–1878👤 William Crookes1832–1919
- Field
- Matter & energy
What was discovered
Crookes observed a bright green line in residues from a sulphuric acid factory; Lamy isolated the metal in Lille in 1862, sparking a priority dispute.
Name from the Greek 'thallos', green shoot.
What it led to
- Rodenticides and insecticides (now banned)
- NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors
- Low-temperature thermometers and infrared optics
Built on
- Spectroscopy
- Sulphuric acid industry
Made possible
- NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal
- High-index glass