The wonders of Gallium

Gallium is such an amazing element. I wonder why it is not included in our curriculum. It has various unique properties. It also has the ability to form both liquid and solid at different temperatures (just like how our chemistry tutor can form various talents). Below 29.76 degrees celcius, it exists as a liquid, while at other temperatures it exists as a solid. Just like how some of us have left gallium unnoticed, it was once left undiscovered until a Russian scientist intervened to change a few things altogether. In 1871, the scientist named Dmitri Mendeleev developed the first widely accepted version of the periodic table. In this table, he had left gaps in between some elements and explained that there exists a few elements that are still available to fit into these gaps that he had left. Unfortunately, some of the other scientists questioned his sanity and thought he was crazy, until five years later, when gallium was founded. It was fitted into one of the gaps he had left in the Mendeleev’s periodic table, just like what he had guessed. Now, any of you reading this article could have had an invention that has been left unnoticed. Hesitate no more! Talk to our chemistry tutor who will be more than happy to guide you with your thinking!

Uses of Gallium

Coming back to one of its properties that I had mentioned, it has the ability to exist as both as a liquid and a solid. With this ability, scientists decided to use it for experiments which led to a new parlour trick being discovered. Chemists make use of liquid gallium to construct a spoon which would then be given to their guests at tea time according to stories from the past. This story further added that the gallium spoon would melt and disappear into the bottom of the cup. How reliable do you think this story is? Don’t forget to check about this information, when you join our chemistry tuition! Nevertheless, this story definitely highlights the sense of humour of chemists from back then. This soft and silvery metal is usually used in electronic circuits, semi-conductors and light-emitting diodes(LEDs). “Wait, isn’t this physics?” You may ask. However, our chemistry tutor understands the importance of the integration of all field of sciences in order to provide the best education standards to our students.

Chemical analysis of Gallium

Although Gallium is a non-toxic metal and is safe to handle, it does leave a metallic residue in our hands and on anything that it touches. Therefore, it would be really foolish for someone to drink a cup of tea that had one of the metallic spoons that some of the chemists designed. This is because once it liquifies into the solution, it is really uncertain what gallium might do to our internal organs over a period of time. All I can assure you for now is that if you attend our chemistry tuition, you wouldn’t be served with one of these. By nature, gallium is not found as a free element but rather it exists in traces in various compounds such as zinc ores it makes up about 0.0019% of the Earth’s Crust, according to PeriodicTable.com.

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