31 zinc ← gallium → germanium Al ↑ Ga ↓ In Periodic Table - Extended Periodic Table
General
Name, Symbol, Number	gallium, Ga, 31
Chemical series	poor metals
Group, Period, Block	13, 4, p
Appearance	silvery white
Standard atomic weight	69.723(1)  g·mol−1
Electron configuration	[Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p1
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 18, 3
Physical properties
Phase	solid
Density (near r.t.)	5. Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 Germanium (dʒɚˈmeɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ge and Atomic number 32 WikipediaNaming Indium (ˈɪndiəm is a Chemical element with chemical symbol In and Atomic number 49 This is a typical display of the periodic table of the elements and contains the symbol and Atomic number of each element Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of Chemical elements, sorted by name Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This is a list of chemical elements by symbol, including the A table of Chemical elements ordered by Atomic number and color coded according to type of element In Chemistry a group, also known as a family, is a vertical column in the Periodic table of the Chemical elements There are 18 groups in In Chemistry a group, also known as a family, is a vertical column in the Periodic table of the Chemical elements There are 18 groups in In the Periodic table of the elements, a period is a horizontal row of the table A block of the Periodic table of elements is a set of adjacent groups The respective highest-energy electrons in each element in a block belong to the same Atomic A period 4 element is one of the Chemical elements in the fourth row (or period) of the periodic table of the elements. See also Electron configuration The atomic mass (ma is the Mass of an atom most often expressed in unified atomic mass units The atomic mass may be considered to be the total mass To help compare different orders of magnitude, the following list describes various Mass levels between 10&minus36&thinsp kg and 1053&thinspkg In Atomic physics and Quantum chemistry, electron configuration is the arrangement of Electrons in an Atom, Molecule, or other This article pertains to the chemical element For other uses see Argon (disambiguation. The electron is a fundamental Subatomic particle that was identified and assigned the negative charge in 1897 by J An electron shell may be crudely thought of as an Orbit followed by Electrons around an Atom nucleus. In the Physical sciences a phase is a Set of states of a macroscopic physical system that have relatively uniform chemical composition and physical properties A solid' object is in the States of matter characterized by resistance to Deformation and changes of Volume. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different Room temperature (also referred to as ambient temperature) is a common term to denote a certain Temperature within enclosed space at which humans are accustomed 91  g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p.	6. The density of a material is defined as its Mass per unit Volume: \rho = \frac{m}{V} Different materials usually have different The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid. 095  g·cm−3
Melting point	302. The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid. 9146 K (29. The kelvin (symbol K) is a unit increment of Temperature and is one of the seven SI base units The Kelvin scale is a thermodynamic 7646 °C, 85. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. 5763 °F)
Boiling point	2477 K (2204 °C, 3999 °F)
Heat of fusion	5. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 The boiling point of a liquid is the temperature at which the Vapor pressure of the liquid equals the environmental pressure surrounding the liquid The kelvin (symbol K) is a unit increment of Temperature and is one of the seven SI base units The Kelvin scale is a thermodynamic The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 The standard Enthalpy of fusion (symbol \Delta{}H_{fus} also known as the heat of fusion or specific melting heat, is the amount of 59  kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization	254  kJ·mol−1
Specific heat capacity	(25 °C) 25. The joule per mole (symbol J·mol-1 is an SI derived unit of energy per amount of material The enthalpy of vaporization, (symbol \Delta{}_{v}H also known as the heat of vaporization or heat of evaporation, is the Energy required The joule per mole (symbol J·mol-1 is an SI derived unit of energy per amount of material Specific heat capacity, also known simply as specific heat, is the measure of the heat energy required to increase the Temperature of a unit quantity 86  J·mol−1·K−1
Vapor pressure P(Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k at T(K) 1310 1448 1620 1838 2125 2518
Atomic properties
Crystal structure	orthorhombic
Oxidation states	3, 2 [1], 1 (amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity	1. Vapor pressure (also known as equilibrium vapor pressure or saturation vapor pressure) is the Pressure of a Vapor in equilibrium In Mineralogy and Crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of Atoms in a Crystal. In Chemistry, the oxidation state is an indicator of the degree of Oxidation of an Atom in a Chemical compound. " Electronegativity " is the opposite of " Electropositivity," which describes an element's ability to donate electrons 81 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies (more)	1st:  578. The ionization potential, ionization energy or EI of an Atom or Molecule is the Energy required to remove an Electron These tables list the Ionization energy in kJ/mol necessary to remove one mole of Electrons from one mole of neutral gaseous Atoms (first energy respectively 8  kJ·mol−1
	2nd:  1979. The joule per mole (symbol J·mol-1 is an SI derived unit of energy per amount of material 3  kJ·mol−1
	3rd:  2963  kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius	130  pm
Atomic radius (calc. Atomic radius, and more generally the size of an atom, is not a precisely defined Physical quantity, nor is it constant in all circumstances A picometre ( American spelling: picometer, symbol pm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one trillionth )	136  pm
Covalent radius	126  pm
Van der Waals radius	187 pm
Miscellaneous
Magnetic ordering	no data
Thermal conductivity	(300 K) 40. The covalent radius, r cov is a measure of the size of Atom which forms part of a Covalent bond. Van der Waals Volume The van der Waals volume, V, also called the atomic volume or molecular volume, is the atomic property most directly In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. In Physics, thermal conductivity, k is the property of a material that indicates its ability to conduct Heat. 6  W·m−1·K−1
Speed of sound (thin rod)	(20 °C) 2740 m/s
Mohs hardness	1. Sound is a vibration that travels through an elastic medium as a Wave. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various Minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material 5
Brinell hardness	60  MPa
CAS registry number	7440-55-3
Selected isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of gallium iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP 69Ga 60. The Brinell scale characterizes the indentation Hardness of materials through the scale of penetration of an indenter loaded on a material test-piece CAS registry numbers are unique numerical identifiers for Chemical compounds Polymers biological sequences mixtures and Alloys They are also referred to Gallium ( Ga)Standard atomic mass 69723(1 u Table Isotopes (Greek isos = "equal" tópos = "site place" are any of the different types of atoms ( Nuclides In Chemistry, natural abundance (NA refers to the abundance Isotopes of a Chemical element as naturally found on a planet Half-Life (computer-game page here It's already listed in the disambiguation page Radioactive decay is the process in which an unstable Atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting ionizing particles and Radiation. The decay energy is the Energy released by a Nuclear decay. The energy difference of the Reactants is often written as Q: where Q In Nuclear physics, a decay product, also known as a daughter product, daughter isotope or daughter nuclide, is a Nuclide 11% 69Ga is stable with 38 neutrons 71Ga 39. Stable isotopes are chemical isotopes that are not Radioactive (to current knowledge This article is a discussion of neutrons in general For the specific case of a neutron found outside the nucleus see Free neutron. 89% 71Ga is stable with 40 neutrons
References

Gallium (pronounced /ˈgæliəm/) is a chemical element that has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Stable isotopes are chemical isotopes that are not Radioactive (to current knowledge This article is a discussion of neutrons in general For the specific case of a neutron found outside the nucleus see Free neutron. Recommended values for many properties of the elements together with various references are collected on these data pages A chemical element is a type of Atom that is distinguished by its Atomic number; that is by the number of Protons in its nucleus. See also List of elements by atomic number In Chemistry and Physics, the atomic number (also known as the proton A soft silvery metallic poor metal, gallium is a brittle solid at low temperatures but liquefies slightly above room temperature and will melt in the hand. Room temperature (also referred to as ambient temperature) is a common term to denote a certain Temperature within enclosed space at which humans are accustomed It occurs in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores. Bauxite is the most important Aluminium Ore. It consists largely of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH3 Boehmite γ-AlO(OH and Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 An important application is in the compounds gallium nitride and gallium arsenide, used as a semiconductor, most notably in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Gallium nitride ( is a very hard material commonly used in bright LEDs since the 1990s Gallium arsenide ( GaAs) is a compound of two elements Gallium and Arsenic. A semiconductor' is a Solid material that has Electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that

Notable characteristics

Elemental gallium is not found in nature, but it is easily obtained by smelting. Chemical reduction, or smelting, is a form of Extractive metallurgy. Very pure gallium metal has a brilliant silvery color and its solid metal fractures conchoidally like glass. Conchoidal Fracture describes the way that Brittle materials break when they do not follow any natural planes of separation. Glass in the common sense refers to a Hard, Brittle, transparent Solid, such as that used for Windows many Gallium metal expands by 3. 1 percent when it solidifies, and therefore storage in either glass or metal containers is avoided, due to the possibility of container rupture with freezing. Gallium shares the higher-density liquid state with only a few materials like germanium, bismuth, antimony and water. Germanium (dʒɚˈmeɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ge and Atomic number 32 Bismuth (ˈbɪzməθ is a Chemical element that has the symbol Bi and Atomic number 83 Antimony (IPA (Received Pronunciation, /ˈæntɪmoʊni/ (US is a Chemical element with the symbol Sb (stibium meaning "mark" and Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life.

Gallium also attacks most other metals by diffusing into their metal lattice. Liquid Metal Embrittlement is a phenomenon of practical importance where certain Ductile Metals experience drastic loss in tensile ductility or undergo brittle Diffusion is the net movement of particles (typically molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration by uncoordinated random movement In Mineralogy and Crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of Atoms in a Crystal. Gallium for example diffuses into the grain boundaries of Al/Zn alloys^[1] or steel. A grain boundary is the interface between two grains in a polycrystalline material WikipediaNaming Zinc (ˈzɪŋk from Zink is a Metallic Chemical element with the symbol Zn and Atomic number 30 An alloy is a Solid solution or Homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a Metal, which itself has ^[2], making them very brittle. Also, gallium metal easily alloys with many metals, and was used in small quantities in the core of the first atomic bomb to help stabilize the plutonium crystal structure. ^[3]

The melting point temperature of 29. The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid. 76 °C allows the metal to be melted in one's hand. This metal has a strong tendency to supercool below its melting point/freezing point, thus necessitating seeding in order to solidify. The melting point of a solid is the temperature range at which it changes state from solid to Liquid. Freezing Point (Chinese 冰點 Bīngdiǎn is a news journal in the People's Republic of China which has been the subject of controversy over its criticism A seed crystal is a small piece of Single crystal material from which a large Crystal of the same material typically is to be grown Gallium is one of the metals (with caesium, rubidium, francium and mercury) which are liquid at or near normal room temperature, and can therefore be used in metal-in-glass high-temperature thermometers. Caesium or cesium (ˈsiːziəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Cs and Atomic number 55 Rubidium (ruːˈbɪdiəm /rəˈbɪdiəm/ is a Chemical element with the symbol Rb and Atomic number 37 Francium (ˈfrænsiəm formerly known as eka-caesium and actinium K, is a Chemical element that has the symbol Fr and Mercury (ˈmɜrkjʊri also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum, is a Chemical element with the symbol Hg ( Latinized hydrargyrum The thermometer is a device that measures Temperature or Temperature gradient using a variety of different principles it comes from the Greek roots It is also notable for having one of the largest liquid ranges for a metal, and (unlike mercury) for having a low vapor pressure at high temperatures. Vapor pressure (also known as equilibrium vapor pressure or saturation vapor pressure) is the Pressure of a Vapor in equilibrium Unlike mercury, liquid gallium metal wets glass and skin, making it mechanically more difficult to handle (even though it is substantially less toxic and requires far fewer precautions). Wetting is the contact between a liquid and a solid surface resulting from intermolecular interactions when the two are brought together For this reason as well as the metal contamination problem and freezing-expansion problems noted above, samples of gallium metal are usually supplied in polyethylene packets within other containers.

Gallium does not crystallize in any of the simple crystal structures. In Materials science, a crystal is a Solid in which the constituent Atoms Molecules or Ions are packed in a regularly ordered repeating In Mineralogy and Crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of Atoms in a Crystal. The stable phase under normal conditions is orthorhombic with 8 atoms in the conventional unit cell. In Crystallography, the orthorhombic Crystal system is one of the seven Lattice Point groups Orthorhombic lattices result from stretching In Mineralogy and Crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of Atoms in a Crystal. Each atom has only one nearest neighbor (at a distance of 244 pm) and six other neighbors within additional 39 pm. A picometre ( American spelling: picometer, symbol pm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one trillionth Many stable and metastable phases are found as function of temperature and pressure. Metastability is a general scientific concept which describes states of delicate equilibrium

The bonding between the nearest neighbors is found to be of covalent character, hence Ga₂ dimers are seen as the fundamental building blocks of the crystal. A dimer is a Chemical or Biological entity consisting of two subunits called Monomers which are held together by either Intramolecular forces The compound with arsenic, gallium arsenide is a semiconductor commonly used in light-emitting diodes. Arsenic (ˈɑrsənɪk is a Chemical element that has the symbol As and Atomic number of 33 Gallium arsenide ( GaAs) is a compound of two elements Gallium and Arsenic. A semiconductor' is a Solid material that has Electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that

High-purity gallium is dissolved slowly by mineral acids. A mineral acid is an Acid derived by Chemical reaction from inorganic Minerals as opposed to Organic acids These have Hydrogen

Gallium has no known biological role, although it might be involved in metabolism stimulation. ^[4]

History

Gallium (the Latin Gallia means "Gaul," essentially modern France; and the Latin gallus means "rooster") was discovered spectroscopically by Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875 by its characteristic spectrum (two violet lines) in an examination of a zinc blende from the Pyrenees. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Spectroscopy was originally the study of the interaction between Radiation and Matter as a function of Wavelength (λ Paul Émile ( François) Lecoq de Boisbaudran ( April 18, 1838 - May 28, 1912) was a French Chemist born Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common As the name of a color violet (named after the flower violet) is used in two senses first referring to the color of Light at the short- Wavelength Sphalerite (( Zn, Fe) S) is a Mineral that is the chief Ore of Zinc. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés Before its discovery, most of its properties had been predicted and described by Dmitri Mendeleev (who had called the hypothetical element "eka-aluminium") on the basis of its position in his periodic table. Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (sometimes spelled Mendeleyev; Дми́трий Ива́нович Менделе́ев) ( &ndash) was a Russian chemist and Professor Dmitri Mendeleev published the first Periodic Table of the Atomic Elements in 1869 based on properties which appeared with some regularity as he laid out the elements The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular method of displaying the Chemical elements Although precursors to this table exist its invention is Later, in 1875, Boisbaudran obtained the free metal by electrolysis of its hydroxide in potassium hydroxide solution. In chemistry and manufacturing electrolysis is a method of separating chemically bonded elements and compounds by passing an Electric current In Chemistry, hydroxide is the most common name for the diatomic Anion OH− consisting of Oxygen and Hydrogen Potassium hydroxide is the Inorganic compound with the formula K[[hydroxide OH]] He named the element "gallia" after his native land of France. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It was later claimed that, in one of those multilingual puns so beloved of men of science in the early 19th century, he had also named gallium after himself, as his name, "Le coq," is the French for "the rooster," and the Latin for "rooster" is "gallus"; however, in an 1877 article Le coq denied this supposition. A pun (or paronomasia) is a Phrase that deliberately exploits confusion between similar-sounding Words for humorous or Rhetorical The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar A rooster (also called a cock or chanticleer) is a male Chicken ( Gallus gallus) the female being called a Hen. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

Occurrence

Gallium does not exist in free form in nature, nor do any high-gallium minerals exist to serve as a primary source of extraction of the element or its compounds. Gallium is found and extracted as a trace component in bauxite, coal, diaspore, germanite, and sphalerite. Bauxite is the most important Aluminium Ore. It consists largely of the minerals Gibbsite Al(OH3 Boehmite γ-AlO(OH and For the plant structure see Spore#Diaspore. For the similar word see Diaspora Diaspore is a native Aluminium oxide hydroxide Germanite is a rare Copper Iron Germanium Sulfide Mineral, Cu13Fe2Ge2S16 Sphalerite (( Zn, Fe) S) is a Mineral that is the chief Ore of Zinc. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates gallium reserves based on 50 ppm by weight concentration in known reserves of bauxite and zinc ores. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. The United States Geological Survey ( USGS) is a scientific agency of the United States government. Some flue dusts from burning coal have been shown to contain small quantities of gallium, typically less than 1 % by weight. A flue is a duct, Pipe, or Chimney for conveying Exhaust gases from a Fireplace, Furnace, Water heater, Dust is a general name for minute Solid particles with Diameters less than 500 micrometers. ^[5][6][7][8]

Most gallium is extracted from the crude aluminium hydroxide solution of the Bayer process for producing alumina and aluminium. Aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH3 is the most stable form of Aluminium in normal conditions The Bayer process is the principal industrial means of refining Bauxite to produce Alumina. A mercury cell electrolysis and hydrolysis of the amalgam with sodium hydroxide leads to sodium gallate. Mercury (ˈmɜrkjʊri also called quicksilver or hydrargyrum, is a Chemical element with the symbol Hg ( Latinized hydrargyrum In chemistry and manufacturing electrolysis is a method of separating chemically bonded elements and compounds by passing an Electric current Hydrolysis is a Chemical reaction during which one or more water molecules are split into hydrogen and hydroxide ions which may go on to participate in further reactions Sodium hydroxide ( Na[[hydroxide OH]]) also known as Lye, caustic soda and (incorrectly according to IUPAC nomenclature Electrolysis then gives gallium metal. For semiconductor use, further purification is carried out using zone melting, or else single crystal extraction from a melt (Czochralski process). A semiconductor' is a Solid material that has Electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that Zone melting is a method of separation by melting in which a molten zone traverses a long Ingot of impure metal or chemical The Czochralski process is a method of Crystal growth used to obtain Single crystals of Semiconductors (e Purities of 99. 9999% are routinely achieved and commercially widely available.

One chemist estimated in 2007 that at the current rate of usage, the world's supply of gallium would be exhausted by about the year 2017. ^[9]

Applications

Semiconductor and electronic industry. The semiconductor applications are the main reason for the low-cost commercial availability of the extremely high-purity (99. 9999+%) metal:

• As a component of the semiconductor gallium arsenide, the most common application for gallium is analog integrated circuits, with the second largest use being optoelectronic devices (mostly laser diodes and light-emitting diodes. Gallium arsenide ( GaAs) is a compound of two elements Gallium and Arsenic. Microchipsjpg|right|thumb|200px|Microchips ( EPROM memory with a transparent window showing the integrated circuit inside Optoelectronics is the study and application of electronic devices that source detect and control Light, usually considered a sub-field of Photonics. A laser diode is a Laser where the active medium is a Semiconductor similar to that found in a Light-emitting diode. )
• Gallium is used widely as a dopant to dope semiconductors and produce solid-state devices like transistors. A dopant, also called doping agent and dope, is an impurity element added to a crystal or semiconductor lattice in low concentrations in order to alter the optical/electrical In Semiconductor production doping is the process of intentionally introducing impurities into an extremely pure (also referred to as intrinsic) semiconductor to A semiconductor' is a Solid material that has Electrical conductivity in between a conductor and an insulator; it can vary over that In Electronics, a transistor is a Semiconductor device commonly used to amplify or switch electronic signals
• Gallium is the rarest component of new photovoltaic compounds (such as copper indium gallium selenium sulfide or Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)₂, recently announced by South African researchers) for use in solar panels as an alternative to crystalline silicon, which is currently in short supply. Photovoltaics ( PV) is the field of technology and research related to the application of Solar cells for Energy by converting Sunlight directly Silicon (ˈsɪlɪkən or /ˈsɪlɪkɒn/ silicium is the Chemical element that has the symbol Si and Atomic number 14

As a wetting, and alloy improvement agent:

• Because gallium wets glass or porcelain, gallium can be used to create brilliant mirrors. Wetting is the contact between a liquid and a solid surface resulting from intermolecular interactions when the two are brought together Porcelain is a Ceramic material made by heating raw materials generally including Clay in the form of Kaolin, in a Kiln to temperatures A mirror is an object with a surface that has good Specular reflection; that is it is smooth enough to form an Image.
• Gallium readily alloys with most metals, and has been used as a component in low-melting alloys. An alloy is a Solid solution or Homogeneous mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a Metal, which itself has A fusible alloy, usually Eutectic Alloy is capable of being fused, as well as being liquefied by heat The plutonium used in nuclear weapon pits is machined by alloying with gallium to stabilize the allotropes of plutonium. Nuclear weapon designs are physical chemical and engineering arrangements that cause the physics package of a nuclear weapon to detonate Allotropy (Gr allos, other and tropos, manner is a behavior exhibited by certain Chemical elements these elements can exist in two or more different
• Gallium added in quantities up to 2% in common solders can aid wetting and flow characteristics. A solder is a fusible metal Alloy with a melting point or melting range of 90 to 450 ° C (200 to 840 ° F) used in a process called

As part of an energy storage mechanism:

• Aluminium is reactive enough to reduce water to hydrogen, being oxidized to aluminium oxide. Hydrogen (ˈhaɪdrədʒən is the Chemical element with Atomic number 1 However, the aluminium oxide forms a protective coat which prevents further reaction. When gallium is alloyed with aluminium, the coat does not form, thus the alloy can potentially provide a solid hydrogen source for transportation purposes, which would be more convenient than a pressurized hydrogen tank. Resmelting the resultant aluminium oxide and gallium mixture to metallic aluminium and gallium and reforming these into electrodes would constitute most of the energy input into the system, while electricity produced by a hydrogen fuel cell could constitute an energy output. ^[10][11]The thermodynamic efficiency of the aluminium smelting process is said to be approximately 50 percent. Therefore, at most no more than half the energy that goes into smelting aluminium could be recovered by a fuel cell.

For liquid alloys:

• It has been suggested that a liquid gallium-tin alloy could be used to cool computer chips in place of water. Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 As it conducts heat approximately 65 times better than water it can make a comparable coolant. A coolant is a fluid which flows through a device in order to prevent its overheating transferring the heat produced by the device to other devices that utilize or dissipate it [2]
• Gallium is used in some high temperature thermometers.
• A liquid Gallium-Indium-Tin alloy has been used in activating Aluminum. Activated Aluminum reacts with water generating Hydrogen and steam. This reaction is considered a feasible process in the hydrogen economy.

Biomedical applications:

• A low temperature liquid eutectic alloy of gallium, indium, and tin, is widely available in medical thermometers (fever thermometers), replacing problematic mercury. Indium (ˈɪndiəm is a Chemical element with chemical symbol In and Atomic number 49 Tin is a Chemical element with the symbol Sn (stannum and Atomic number 50 This alloy, with the trade name Galinstan (with the "-stan" referring to the tin), has a freezing point of −20°C. Galinstan is an Eutectic Alloy of Gallium, Indium, and Tin which is liquid at room temperature typically freezing at −19 °
• Gallium salts such as gallium citrate and gallium nitrate are used as radiopharmaceutical agents in nuclear medicine imaging. Salt is a Dietary mineral composed primarily of Sodium chloride that is essential for Animal life but toxic to most land plants A citrate can refer either to the Conjugate base of Citric acid, (C3H5O(COO33&minus or to the Esters of citric In Inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of Nitric acid with an Ion composed of one Nitrogen and three Oxygen atoms Radiopharmacology is the study and preparation of radiopharmaceuticals, which are radioactive Pharmaceuticals Radiopharmaceuticals are used in the field Nuclear medicine is a branch of Medicine and Medical imaging that uses the nuclear properties of matter in diagnosis and therapy (The form or salt is not important, since it is the free dissolved gallium ion Ga³⁺ which is active). For these applications, a radioactive isotope such as ⁶⁷Ga is used. A radionuclide is an Atom with an unstable nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy which is available to be imparted either to a newly-created The body handles Ga³⁺ in many ways as though it were iron, and thus it is bound (and concentrates) in areas of inflammation, such as infection, and also areas of rapid cell division. This allows such sites to be imaged by nuclear scan techniques. See gallium scan. A gallium scan or gallium 67 scan is a type of Nuclear medicine study that uses a radioactive tracer to obtain images of a specific type of tissue or disease This use has largely been replaced by fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) for positron emission tomography, "PET" scan. Fluorodeoxyglucose is a Glucose analog. Its full chemical name is 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose, commonly abbreviated to FDG Positron emission tomography ( PET) is a Nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or map of functional processes in the
• Gallium nitrate, both oral and topical, is finding use in treating arthritis. ^[12]
• Gallium maltolate is in clinical and preclinical trials as a potential treatment for cancer, infectious disease, and inflammatory disease. Gallium maltolate is a Coordination complex consisting of a trivalent Gallium cation coordinated to three Maltolate Ligands The compound is undergoing ^[13]
• Much research is being devoted to gallium alloys as substitutes for mercury dental amalgams, but these compounds have yet to see wide acceptance. Amalgam is a commonly used dental filling that has been used for over 150 years
• Research is being conducted to determine whether gallium can be used to fight bacterial infections in people with cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF, mucoviscoidosis, or mucoviscidosis) is a hereditary disease affecting the exocrine (mucus glands of the lungs Gallium is similar in size to iron, an essential nutrient for respiration. When gallium is mistakenly picked up by bacteria such as Pseudomonas, the bacteria's ability to respire is interfered with and the bacteria die. Pseudomonas is a Genus of gamma Proteobacteria, belonging to the larger family of Pseudomonads Recently 16S rRNA sequence The mechanism behind this is that iron is redox active, which allows for the transfer of electrons during respiration, but gallium is redox inactive. ^[14][15]

Miscellaneous:

• Magnesium gallate containing impurities (such as Mn²⁺), is beginning to be used in ultraviolet-activated phosphor powder. Magnesium (mægˈniːziəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Mg, Atomic number 12 Atomic weight 24 Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays A phosphor is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of Phosphorescence (sustained glowing after exposure to energized particles such as Electrons
• Neutrino detection. Neutrinos are Elementary particles that travel close to the Speed of light, lack an Electric charge, are able to pass through ordinary matter almost Possibly the largest amount of pure gallium ever collected in a single spot was the GALLEX neutrino detector operated in the early 1990s in an Italian mountain tunnel. GALLEX or Gallium Experiment was a radiochemical Neutrino detection experiment that ran between 1991 and 1997 at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso The detector contained 12. 2 tons of watered gallium-71. Solar neutrinos caused a few atoms of Ga-71 to become radioactive Ge-71, which were detected. Germanium (dʒɚˈmeɪniəm is a Chemical element with the symbol Ge and Atomic number 32 The solar neutrino flux deduced was found to have a deficit of 40% from theory. This was not explained until better solar neutrino detectors and theories were constructed (see SNO). The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory ( SNO) is a Neutrino observatory located 6800 feet (about 2 km underground in Vale Inco 's Creighton Mine [3]
• As a liquid metal ion source for a focused ion beam. Focused ion beam, also known as FIB, is a technique used particularly in the semiconductor and materials science fields for site-specific analysis deposition and ablation of

Precautions

While not considered toxic, the data about gallium are inconclusive. Some sources suggest that it may cause dermatitis from prolonged exposure; other tests have not caused a positive reaction. Dermatitis is a Blanket term meaning any " Inflammation of the skin" (e Like most metals, finely divided gallium loses its luster. Powdered gallium appears grey. When gallium is handled with bare hands, the extremely fine dispersion of liquid gallium droplets which results from wetting skin with the metal may appear as a grey skin stain.

See also

• Gallium compounds

References

• Los Alamos National Laboratory – Gallium
• Webelements: detailed information on gallium

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4. ^ Mark Winter. Scholar Edition: gallium: Biological information. The University of Sheffield and WebElements Ltd, UK.
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7. ^ O. Font, X. Querol, R. Juan, R. Casado, C. R. Ruiz, A. Lopez-Soler, P. Coca and F. G. Pena (2007). "Recovery of gallium and vanadium from gasification fly ash". Journal of Hazardous Materials 139 (3): 413-423. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2006.02.041. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
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9. ^ Augsberg University Calculate When Our Materials Run Out retrieved May 4, 2008
10. ^ Purdue University (April 10, 2007). "Purdue Energy Center symposium to pave the road to a hydrogen economy". Press release. A news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded Communication directed at members of the News
11. ^ "New process generates hydrogen from aluminum alloy to run engines, fuel cells", PhysOrg. com, 16 May 2007.  
12. ^ G. Eby (2005). "Elimination of arthritis pain and inflammation for over 2 years with a single 90 min, topical 14% gallium nitrate treatment: Case reports and review of actions of gallium III". Medical Hypotheses 65 (6): 1136-1141. Medical Hypotheses is a medical journal which provides a forum for unconventional ideas in medicine doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2005.06.021. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
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14. ^ A Trojan-horse strategy selected to fight bacteria
15. ^ Gallium May Have Antibiotic-Like Properties

External links

• WebElements.com – textbook information on gallium
• Picture in the Element collection from Heinrich Pniok
• Material safety data sheet at acialloys.com
• www.lenntech.com – textbook information regarding gallium
• environmental effects of gallium
• Price development of gallium 1959-1998
• Technology produces hydrogen by adding water to an alloy of aluminum and gallium
• pure Gallium crystals ~99,9999% picture in the element collection from Heinrich Pniok