Gallium information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
Gallium is one of three elements that naturally occur as a liquid at room temperature. The other two are mercury and cesium. The application of gallium that has received the most attention is the production of semiconducting compounds. Of these, the most important are the compounds of gallium with antimony, arsenic or phosphor . Nowadays gallium arsenide (Ga-As) is undoubtedly the most used. This compound is used in the production of several electronic parts such as diodes and transistors, made for voltage rectification, signal amplification, etc. Other gallium arsenide applications are the semiconductor "lasing" and microwave generation and also in sensors to measure temperature, light or magnetic field. Gallium is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.9999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder. Gallium facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Gallium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries. Gallium is a Block P, Group 13, Period 4 element. The electronic configuration is [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p1. In its elemental form gallium's CAS number is 7440-55-3. The gallium atom has a radius of 122.1.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 187.pm.All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology advantages. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Gallium compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis. Gallium was first discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in 1825.
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of gallium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope. |
Gallium 
Gallium 
Gallio 
Gálio
Galio 
Gallium Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
Ga-69 |
68.925581 |
60.11 |
Ga-71 |
70.924705 |
39.89 |
Safety Data. The safety data for gallium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for gallium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table: |
1st Ionization Energy |
578.85 kJ mol-1 |
2nd Ionization Energy |
1979.33 kJ mol-1 |
3rd Ionization Energy |
2963.09 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to gallium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 17.4 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 1.81. The thermal conductivity of gallium is 40.6 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for gallium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization. |
Heat of Fusion |
5.59 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Vaporization |
270.3 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Atomization |
276 kJ mol-1 |
| Formula | Atomic Number | Molecular Weight | Electronegativity (Pauling) | Density | Melting Point | Boiling Point |
Vanderwaals radius |
Ionic radius | Energy of first ionization |
| Ga | 31 | 69.72 g.mol -1 | unknown | 5.1 g.cm-3 at 20 °C | 29.8 °C | 2204 °C | 187.pm | 0.083 nm (+3) | 578.85 kJ.mol-1 |
| PRODUCT CATALOG | UK Operations | Submicron & Nanopowder | Tolling | Ultra High Purity | Sputtering Target | Crystal Growth | Rod, Plate, Powder, etc. | Foil |
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