{"id":159,"date":"2020-04-09T09:43:06","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T09:43:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=159"},"modified":"2023-08-15T16:12:16","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T16:12:16","slug":"gallium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/gallium\/","title":{"rendered":"Gallium Facts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gallium (Ga) is a chemical element with an atomic number of 31 in the periodic table of elements. It mainly occurs as a part of the chemical compounds found in Earth\u2019s crust, in a quantity of 0.0005%. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chemical substance is a member of the boron<\/a> family (group 13), which includes the semi-metal boron (B) and the metals aluminum (Al), indium<\/a> (In), and thallium<\/a> (Tl). Just like them, gallium is also a trivalent element with an atomic radius of 130 pm that participates in numerous compounds with the other chemicals. Its most common oxidation state is +3. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Gallium<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
Property<\/strong><\/td>\n Value<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Name:<\/td>\n Gallium<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Symbol:<\/td>\n Ga<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Atomic Number:<\/td>\n 31<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Atomic Weight:<\/td>\n 69.723 g.mol-1<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Group Number:<\/td>\n 13 (Post-transition metals)<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Period:<\/td>\n 4<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Color:<\/td>\n A lustrous, silvery-white metal with a bluish hue<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Physical State:<\/td>\n Solid at room temperature<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Density:<\/td>\n 5.907 g\/cm\u00b3<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Melting Point:<\/td>\n 302.93 K<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Boiling Point:<\/td>\n 2253 K<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Group:<\/td>\n Metal<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Shells:<\/td>\n 2,8,18,3<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Valence:<\/td>\n 2,3<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Crystal Structure:<\/td>\n Orthorhombic<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Electro Negativity:<\/td>\n 1.81<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Covalent Radius:<\/td>\n 1.26 \u00c5<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Atomic Radius:<\/td>\n 1.81 \u00c5<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Atomic Volume:<\/td>\n 11.8 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Name Origin:<\/td>\n Latin: Gallia (France)<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Discovered By:<\/td>\n Paul \u00c9mile Lecoq de Boisbaudran<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Year:<\/td>\n 1875<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Location:<\/td>\n France<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Pronunciation:<\/td>\n GAL-i-em<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Uses:<\/td>\n Used in semiconductor production. It is used in making LEDs (light-emitting diodes) and GaAs laser diodes.<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Description:<\/td>\n Grayish-white metal<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol (Ga), atomic number 31, atomic mass of 69.72 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration <\/span>[Ar] 3d<\/span>10<\/span>4s<\/span>2<\/span>4p<\/span>1<\/span>, gallium is a soft and corrosive post-transition metal that reaches its boiling point at 2229\u00b0C (4044\u00b0F, 2502 K). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The low melting point of this element is achieved at 29.7646\u00b0C (85.5763\u00b0F, 302.9146 K), which triggers the melting of gallium even at  (or rather, close to) room temperature. Liquid gallium is difficult to work with, since it tends to stick to surfaces, such as glass, skin, etc. Due to this, Ga cannot be stored in glass or metal containers. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pure elemental form of gallium has an orthorhombic crystal structure. It adopts a solid aggregate condition at room temperature but liquifies when exposed to higher temperatures. Gallium shares this property with the elements mercury<\/a>, caesium<\/a>, and rubidium<\/a> that also turn from solid substances to a liquid state upon heating.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similar to mercury, the pure gallium metal is characterized by a stunning lustrous silvery color with a bright, highly reflective surface.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallium is classified in the group of post-transition metals, <\/span>along with aluminum, indium and thallium, tin<\/a>, lead<\/a>, and bismuth<\/a>. It readily reacts with acids and alkalis but is stable in reactions with air and molecules of water. The low density of this chemical allows gallium to expand when exposed to low temperatures, which is a property it shares with water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Gallium Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The story of gallium\u2019s discovery begins in Paris, in 1875. That year, the French chemist Paul-\u00c9mile Lecoq de Boisbaudran (also known as Fran\u00e7ois Lecoq de Boisbaudran) performed a chemical analysis of a sample of zinc<\/a> blende ore (ZnS) obtained from the Pyrenees. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon a closer look at the isolated zinc from the sample, de Boisbaudran noticed a new violet line in the atomic spectrum of the substance under his observation. This evidence was pointing to a new, undiscovered chemical element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, it was the element named \u201ceka-aluminum\u201d predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev. According to his scientific estimations, this chemical was supposed to occupy the place in the periodic table under the chemical element aluminum (Al) according to its chemical properties. The great Russian chemist even came close to the atomic mass of this element, by predicting around 68 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span> for the gallium element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, de Boisbaudran succeeded in isolating the pure elemental form of gallium by conducting electrolysis of gallium hydroxide in potassium<\/a> hydroxide solution. He also managed to determine its properties by comparing it to the chemical element aluminum, after which this French chemist presented his scientific findings to the French Academy of Sciences as the discoverer of the new chemical element – gallium (Ga). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Gallium Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The name of this chemical element was derived from the Latin word for France, the home country of the chemist Paul-\u00c9mile Lecoq de Boisbaudran who discovered gallium. In fact, there is a double symbolism behind the name of gallium. Namely, \u2018<\/span>Gallia<\/span><\/i>\u2019 (gaul) in Latin refers to the European country France, but gallium is also a reference to the name of its discoverer (Lecoq) that in Latin translates as \u2018<\/span>gallus<\/span><\/i>\u2019, or \u2018a rooster\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Gallium?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What makes this chemical element a bit more different than the rest is the fact that gallium is not mined from mineral ore since it is found only in trace amounts in them. Rarely occurring in its free elemental form in nature, gallium is mostly derived as a by-product of mining and the processing of iron<\/a> pyrites, zinc blende, diaspore, germanite, and bauxite (aluminum), and copper<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an impurity, gallium is mostly contained in coal, bauxite, and the mineral sphalerite. In addition, gallite is the most common form of a mineral from which the crude gallium feedstock can be obtained. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

France, along with Germany and Japan, is among the countries that are the largest producers of refined gallium. On the other hand, the most used gallium compounds in the United States are gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gallium in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Regarding its chemical properties, gallium is mostly used in the metal and electronics industry. However, its most significant use is in medicine, or more specifically, in radiology. The following is a list of the most common gallium uses in the everyday life:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n