Gallium | Chemistry Notes
Key Takeaway
Gallium is one of the most interesting metals that exist on the surface of the Earth.
Gallium | Chemistry Notes
Gallium is one of the most interesting metals that exist on the surface of the Earth. It is a non-toxic, glass-like soft metal having a melting point slightly above room temperature. So if you hold it in the palm of your hand, it will melt and will solidify, once it is set down.
Gallium forms0.0019 percentof Earth's crust and found in traces. The gallium can be extracted throughsmelting, as a byproduct of aluminum and zinc production.
In the Periodic table, it is placed between metals and metalloids and grouped in the Boron family(Group 13). So it is known as apost-transition metal / poor metal, having poor conductivity and being brittle.
Characteristics(12)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Atomic no. | 31 |
| Atomic symbol | Ga |
| Atomic weight | 69.723 |
| Density | 5.91 g / cm³ |
| Boiling point | 2204 °C |
| Melting point | 29.76 °C |
| Electronegativity | 1.81 |
| Phase at room temperature | Solid |
| Color | Silver(in purest form)& blue-gray(in solid state) |
| No. of isotopes | 24(whose half-lives are known) |
| Common isotopes | Ga-69 & Ga-71(stable isotopes) |
| Largest Producers | Australia, France, Germany & Russia |
History
It wasDmitri Mendeleev,the inventor of Periodic table who predicted the existence of aluminum type metal in 1869 and named it "eka-aluminum"(Sanskrit word for "beyond"). He left the 31st of the periodic table box empty for he believed his prediction was correct.
Six years later in1875, a French man namedPaul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudrandiscovered Gallium, when he spotted a line in the violet part of the visible spectrum at 417nm in a sample ofSphalerite(a zinc sulfide mineral).
The origin of the name "Gallium" comes from the Latin word "Gallia," which means France.
Interesting Facts
It can be supercooled quite easily.When Gallium is applied to glass, it turns into a mirror.The greatest ratio between melting point and boiling point of any element.Liquid gallium can't be kept in glass or metal containers because when it freezes, it expands to 3.1 percent of its original volume.
Uses(2)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Gallium nitride | Blu-ray technology, mobile phones & pressure sensors |
| Gallium arsenide | Semiconductors, microwave, and infrared circuits, solar panels & LEDs |
📝SideNotes(5)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Atomic number | Number of protons present in the nucleus* |
| Atomic weight | Average mass of the atom |
| Isotopes | Atoms of the same element with a different number of neutrons |
| Supercooling | The process in which a substance is cooled below its freezing point without turning it into a solid.4 metals that exist as a liquid at room temperature –Gallium, Mercury, Caesium & Rubidium |
| Only non-metal that exists as a liquid at room temperature | Bromine |
* Time-sensitive data — verify for latest information