Cadmium

Element Cadmium

It is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48
This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury.
Element Cadmium occurs as a minor component in most zinc ores and is a byproduct of zinc production.
Cadmium was used for a long time as a corrosion-resistant plating on steel, and cadmium compounds are used as red, orange and yellow pigments, to color glass, and to stabilize plastic.
It is similar in many respects to zinc but forms complex compounds. Unlike most other metals, cadmium is resistant to corrosion and is used as a protective plate on other metals. As a bulk metal, cadmium is insoluble in water and is not flammable; however, in its powdered form it may burn and release toxic fumes.

Naturally occurring cadmium is composed of 8 isotopes.
Two of them are radioactive, and three are expected to decay but have not done so under laboratory conditions. The two natural radioactive isotopes are 113Cd (beta decay, half-life is 7.7 × 1015 years) and 116Cd (two-neutrino double beta decay, half-life is 2.9 × 1019 years).