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Rundown about Gallium and its Chemical Properties

Gallium is a soft silvery-white metal, inert and nontoxic; it possesses characteristics different to those of other metals. It is liquid at near room temperature, and brittle solid at lower temperatures. Gallium is one of four metals -- mercury, cesium, and rubidium that can be used in high-temperature thermometers. Gallium may be cooled to 0 °C without solidifying, and is denser as a liquid than as a solid. It has a high tendency to supercool below its freezing point. Moreover, gallium has one of the longest liquid ranges of any metal and even at high temperatures; it has a low vapor pressure. Soluble in acid, alkali and slightly soluble in mercury. High-purity gallium is attacked slowly only by mineral acids.
Melting point: 29.76 °C
Boiling point: 2204 °C
Density: 5.904 gm/cc
Thermal Conductivity: 0.281 W/cm/K @ 302.93 K
Electrical Resistivity: 17.4 microhm-cm @ 20 oC
Electronegativity: 1.6
Originally discovered in 1875, gallium, at the time, was primarily used to make alloys with melting point. Nowadays gallium is mostly used in the production of electronic components, in the form of compounds.
Gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN), and copper-indium-gallium-selenide (CIGS) are used in the production of many electronic applications in semiconductors parts such as integrated circuits, transistors, light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, photo detectors and solar cells. The components listed above are crucial in the manufacture of high-performance computers and smartphones alongside with the aerospace and telecommunications industries.
A Gallium ingot is a cast, normally with a rectangular or round shape and therefore, a seeding is usually necessary for solidification. Shot and ingots are packaged to order and sold by the gram or kilogram.
Applications of Gallium:
  • ­Gallium is used in transistors and amplifiers.
  • ­Gallium is used in Light Emitting Diode (LED) for electronic displays and watches.
  • ­Gallium is used in the formation of different low melting alloys
  • ­Gallium is used in the making of different mirrors and glass coatings to form bright and highly reflective surfaces.
  • ­Gallium is used in the manufacturing of high temperature thermometers.

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