Gallium (Ga)
By Devin Robson
Fast Facts
Gallium has a lot of uses. Gallium is used to make blue or violet LED lights. It is also used for microelectronics like microwaves.
Gallium is a liquid at room temperature. Gallium will literally melt in your hand. It liquefies at slightly above room temperature.
Gallium's Rarity. Gallium is present on Earth at around 16.9 ppm. It does not play a role in plant or animal biology
History of Gallium
Gallium was discovered in 1875 by a french person named Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran using a spectroscope. Gallium was produced by a hairdryer. Its name comes from Gallia which is the Latin name for France and it symbol came from the English name.
Mendeleev predicted its existence in 1871. Mendeleev suggested the name ekaaluminium (Ea). his predictions were very accurate.
Galliums Properties
Gallium will liquefy at right above room temperature. It can be a liquid when it is held in the human hand. When it is removed from the hand it solidifies. Gallium doesn't react with air or water because of the oxide layer that surrounds it. Gallium's ions appear to have antibiotic properties, causing bacteria to die.
Gallium's Uses
Gallium has many uses dealing with many different areas of new technology. scientists have been using Gallium to replace mercury in thermometer because it proposes less danger. It is also a crucial material in semiconductor devices which are electric components.
Gallium's Compounds
Gallium has two main compounds. Gallium Trichloride and Gallium oxide. Gallium Trichloride is used in next generation displays and Gallium Oxide is used in vacuum deposition. Gallium also has some side compounds that aren't as common like Gallium Nitride and Gallium Arsenide. Gallium Nitride is used in bright light emitting diodes and gallium Arsenide is a semiconductor with a zinc blende crystal structure.
Gallium Isotopes
Gallium-67, Gallium-68, Gallium-69,Gallium-71. Gallium-67 is a gamma emitting Isotope. Gallium-68 is a positron emitting isotope. Gallium-69 and Gallium-71 are both used in nuclear medicine and physics.