gallium
Sign in to saveGallium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by the French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in Paris, France, 1875, elemental gallium is a soft, silvery metal at standard temperature and pressure. In its liquid state, it becomes silvery white. If enough force is applied, solid gallium may fracture conchoidally. Since its discovery in 1875, gallium has widely been used to make alloys with low melting points. It is also used in semiconductors, as a dopant in semiconductor substrates.
AI overview
Gallium is a soft, silvery metal discovered in 1875 that can be melted at relatively low temperatures, making it useful for creating alloys. Today, gallium is primarily important for its role in semiconductors, where it is used as a dopant in semiconductor substrates to enhance their electronic properties.
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Article
23 sectionsContents
- Physical properties
- Isotopes
- Chemical properties
- Aqueous chemistry
- Oxides and chalcogenides
- Nitrides and pnictides
- Halides
- Hydrides
- Organogallium compounds
- History
- Occurrence
- Production and availability
- Applications
- Semiconductors
- Galinstan and other alloys
- Biomedical applications
- Radiogallium salts
- Other uses
- Gallium in the ocean
- Precautions
- Notes
- References
- External links
Gallium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by the French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in Paris, France, 1875, elemental gallium is a soft, silvery metal at standard temperature and pressure. In its liquid state, it becomes silvery white. If enough force is applied, solid gallium may fracture conchoidally. Since its discovery in 1875, gallium has widely been used to make alloys with low melting points. It is also used in semiconductors, as a dopant in semiconductor substrates.
The melting point of gallium, , is used as a temperature reference point. Gallium alloys are used in thermometers as a non-toxic and environmentally friendly alternative to mercury, and can withstand higher temperatures than mercury. A melting point of , well below the freezing point of water, is claimed for the alloy galinstan (62–95% gallium, 5–22% indium, and 0–16% tin by weight), but that may be the freezing point with the effect of supercooling.