Caesium monoxide or caesium oxide is an chemical compound with the chemical formula Cs2O. It is the simplest and most common oxide of the caesium. It forms yellow-orange hexagonal crystals.[1]

Uses

Caesium oxide is used in photocathodes to detect infrared signals in devices such as image intensifiers, vacuum photodiodes, photomultipliers, and TV camera tubes[3] L. R. Koller described the first modern photoemissive surface in 1929–1930 as a layer of caesium on a layer of caesium oxide on a layer of silver.[4] It is a good electron emitter; however, its high vapor pressure limits its usefulness.[5]

Reactions

Elemental magnesium reduces caesium oxide to elemental caesium, forming magnesium oxide as a side-product:[6][7]

Cs2O + Mg → 2 Cs + MgO

Cs2O is hygroscopic, forming the corrosive CsOH on contact with water.

References

  1. ^ a b Lide, David R., ed. (2006). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (87th ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. pp. 451, 514. ISBN 0-8493-0487-3..
  2. ^ Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1984). Chemistry of the Elements. Oxford: Pergamon Press. pp. 97–100. ISBN 978-0-08-022057-4..
  3. ^ Capper, Peter; Elliott, C. T. (2000), Infrared Detectors and Emitters, Springer, p. 14, ISBN 978-0-7923-7206-6
  4. ^ Busch, Kenneth W.; Busch, Marianna A. (1990), Multielement Detection Systems for Spectrochemical Analysis, Wiley-Interscience, p. 12, ISBN 978-0-471-81974-5
  5. ^ Boolchand, Punit, ed. (2000), Insulating and Semiconducting Glasses, World Scientific, p. 855, Bibcode:2000isg..book.....B, ISBN 978-981-02-3673-1
  6. ^ Turner Jr., Francis M., ed. (1920), The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, New York: Chemical Catalog Co., p. 121
  7. ^ Arora, M.G. (1997), S-Block Elements, New Delhi: Anmol Publications, p. 13, ISBN 978-81-7488-562-3