Tellurium

Tellurium is element number 52 in the periodic table with the symbol Te. It is a brittle silver-white metalloid, a non-metal whose electronic structure, bonding characteristics and consequent physical and chemical characteristics differ remarkedly from metals. It resembles tin, but is chemically related to selenium and sulfur. It is one of the nine rarest elements on earth. Tellurium is primarily used in steel to improve machining characteristics. It is used in copper as an alloy that does not decrease conductivity and in other alloys for particular characteristics. Other uses include as a semiconductor, an ingredient in blasting caps, and as a pigment for certain colors in glass and ceramics.