Gallium
Gallium (chemical symbol: Ga) is element 31 on the periodic table. It is a soft, gray metal that is rare on Earth. It can easily be melted just by holding it in your hand, as its melting point is very low 29.76 Celsius (85.58 Fahrenheit), however it also sticks to your hand a lot, unlike mercury. Gallium is a semiconductor, and as the compound Gallium arsenide it is used in electronics and LEDs. Then, Gallium is also used in mirrors. Gallium can also be alloyed with indium and tin to create galinstan. Gallium is similar to the elements aluminium, indium, and mercury. Gallium is also used to make alloys that are liquid at room temperature. These can be used as a thermal paste for computers, and as a substitute for mercury in some applications.
Gallium’s existence was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1871. Four years later, it was discovered by Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran.
Written for younger readers
Gallium, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: The Elements
NOTOC
Gallium is an odorless, soft, silver metal. Its melting point is low, around 37 degrees Celsius, so it can be melt when you hold it. Gallium is such a soft matter that it can be cut, using a normal knife easily. You can shape it if you like even with your hand. When you put it in acids and alkalis, it will react.
Paul E. Lecoq who is a French Chemist, found Gallium through a spectroscope in 1875 in Paris.
Paul E. Lecoq de Boisbaudran, the chemist discovering that element, named it “Gallium” . Gallium is a Latin word which means France. There is also a theory he named it after himself “Lecoq” which means rooster (cockerel), and rooster in Latin is “Gallaus”
Did You Know?
- Gallium is easy to change the state and it depends on the temperature.
- The Gallium will melt when you put it out of your hand. Your body temperature will make the gallium melt.
- This Gallium does not react with oxygen and air or water because the oxide layer. Gallium is not found in and its elemental form on earth but it is found in minerals and ores on earth.
Gallium is used like silicon and it’s an important substance in electronics industry. It is also useful in making thermometers because it has low melting point like mercury but non toxic, which is better than mercury.
When Gallium dissolves into aluminium, it will release ability to create a protective oxide layer. If it happens, any metal machines will be collapsed , injuring or killing people. It is banned from planes in case the metal could damage any metal things in the plane.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Gallium” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
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