Thallium

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Pices of thallium in a glass tube.
Pices of thallium in a glass tube.

Thallium is a chemical element. It has the chemical symbol Tl. It has the atomic number 81. It is a metal. It is a soft, grey, malleable poor metal. Thallium looks like tin but its colour changes in air. Thallium is very toxic.

It is used in rat poisons and insecticides. The use of thallium as a poison has been reduced or eliminated in many countries because these countries think that thallium might cause cancers. It is also used in infrared detectors. It has been used in some murders. Like arsenic, the use of thallium in murders has given it the name "Inheritance powder."