GALLIUM (GA)

last update 01 oct 08

* Gallium is a member of the main group metals family:

main group metals in the periodic table

   ____________________________________________________________________

   GALLIUM / Ga / 31

   A soft, silvery-white metal, with a melting point so low that it
   will melt when held in the hand, and with moderate resistance to
   corrosion.  Along with the low melting point, it is also unusual in
   that it expands when it solidifies.  Two isotopes, both stable, are
   found in nature:  Ga<69/31> (60%) and Ga<71/31> (40%).

     atomic weight:       69.723
     abundance:           34th
     density:             6.1 g/cc (liquid), 5.9 g/cc (solid)
     melting point:       30 C      
     boiling point:       2,403 C
     valence:             2 3
   ____________________________________________________________________

Although gallium is more common than lead in the Earth's crust, gallium is widely dispersed in various chemical compounds, and so world production is only a few tens of tonnes a year. It is prominently used in electronic devices, in the form of compounds such as gallium arsenide (GaAs). Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and semiconductor lasers are often made of gallium-based compounds.