Tellurium (Te) Fun Facts
"The Garlic-Breath, a rare hero from the Earth who leaves a lingering, garlicky impression."
The true essence of Tellurium (Te) on the molecular frontier.
Tellurium is a brittle, silvery-white metalloid.
Tellurium is found as a component in some solar cells.
Tellurium often appears in sci-fi to describe the strange geology of alien worlds.
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Did You Know?
It was named after 'Tellus', the Latin word for Earth.
Humans exposed to even tiny amounts of tellurium (as little as 0.01 mg/m³) develop a condition called 'tellurium breath', which gives their breath a strong, persistent garlic-like odor.
When added to steel and copper, it makes the metals easier to machine.
Tellurium is one of the rarest stable solid elements in the Earth's crust, rarer even than platinum.
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) is used to make highly efficient thin-film solar cells.