Even in its solid state, gallium is very soft, much like aluminum. You could cut through it with a knife. How would you know gallium if you saw it? But as a solid metal, it turns blue-grey. If gallium has been melted and cooled several times, it may feel smooth. What is this unique element used for? Most gallium is used in electronics. It can also be used to make thermometers and mirrors.
Many believe gallium may have more future uses. This compound is similar to silicon. Some people believe it may one day be used in smartphones and computers. What other uses for gallium can you think of? Will this soft metal stay in the world of electronics? Or will it have other uses? Only time—and lots of trial and error—will tell! A, NGSS. B, CCRA. We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature.
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What is gallium? What is gallium used for? What makes gallium unique? By: Nora Foley and Brian W. Gallium is a soft, silvery metallic element with an atomic number of 31 and the chemical symbol Ga. The French chemist Paul-Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran discovered gallium in sphalerite a zinc-sulfide mineral in using spectroscopy. He named the element "gallia" after his native land of France formerly Gaul; in Latin, Gallia.
Gallium bonds easily with most metals and is commonly used to make low-melting alloys. It is one of four metals including mercury , rubidium and caesium that are liquid at or near room temperature.
Of these four metals, gallium is the least reactive and least toxic, making it the most safe and environmentally-friendly choice for high temperature thermometers, barometers, heat transfer systems and cooling and heating devices. Liquid gallium can be quite difficult to work with, however, as it clings to glass, skin and most other materials except graphite, quartz and Teflon.
It also expands when it freezes so it cannot be stored in glass containers. Gallium is also used in some pharmaceuticals and radiopharmaceuticals. For example, the radioactive isotope Ga is used as a nuclear medicine test to look for inflammation, infection or cancer in the body. Gallium nitrate is used in many pharmaceuticals and as a treatment for hypercalcemia, a disease which can lead to the growth of bone tumors.
Gallium has also been suggested as a treatment for cancer, infectious disease and inflammatory disease. However, exposure to large amounts of gallium may cause throat or chest irritation, and the fumes can lead to some serious conditions, according to Chemistry LibreTexts. Before gallium was discovered, it was predicted by Russian chemist and inventor Dimitri Mendeleev, the creator of the periodic table of elements.
He named the missing element eka-aluminum because he knew it would go below aluminum on the periodic table in box 31, according to Chemicool. Since each element produces its own distinctive set of lines, or spectra, this method was a reliable way to identify elements. Lecoq de Boisbaudran wondered if element 31 might be found in zinc ores. Zinc , which has an atomic number of 30, sits next to gallium on the periodic table.
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