Caesium perchlorate or cesium perchlorate (CsClO
4), is a
perchlorate of
caesium
Caesium (IUPAC spelling) (or cesium in American English) is a chemical element with the symbol Cs and atomic number 55. It is a soft, silvery-golden alkali metal with a melting point of , which makes it one of only five elemental metals that a ...
. It forms white crystals, which are sparingly soluble in cold water and
ethanol. It dissolves more easily in hot water.
CsClO
4 is the second least soluble of the alkali metal perchlorates (after Fr, followed by Rb, K, Li, and Na), a property which may be used for separatory purposes and even for
gravimetric analysis. This low solubility played an important role in the characterization of
francium
Francium is a chemical element with the symbol Fr and atomic number 87. It is extremely radioactive; its most stable isotope, francium-223 (originally called actinium K after the natural decay chain it appears in), has a half-life of only 22&nb ...
as an alkali metal, as francium perchlorate
coprecipitates with caesium perchlorate.
When heated, CsClO
4 decomposes to
caesium chloride
Caesium chloride or cesium chloride is the inorganic compound with the formula Cs Cl. This colorless salt is an important source of caesium ions in a variety of niche applications. Its crystal structure forms a major structural type where each ...
above 250 °C. Like all perchlorates, it is a strong oxidant and may react violently with reducing agents and organic materials, especially at elevated temperatures.
References
External links
Sigma-Aldrich MSDS
Caesium compounds
Perchlorates
{{Perchlorates