What is gallium metal used for in magic?

Gallium is a chemical element with good electrical conductivity, semiconductor properties and magnetic properties, so it is widely used in the fields of semiconductors, optoelectronics, medical, metal alloys, precision instruments, etc.

Gallium, chemical symbol "Ga", atomic number 31, is located in group 13 of the periodic table of elements, a poor metal with similar properties to aluminum, indium and thallium. In nature, it is often scattered in trace amounts in ores such as zinc ore and bauxite. At standard temperature and pressure, gallium is a soft, silvery metal; at low temperatures it is a brittle solid.

The special physical properties of gallium

Low melting point: The melting point is only 29.76°C, which is much lower than common metals such as iron, copper, aluminum, etc., and can even be melted by hand.

Low density: the density is only 5.91 g/cm³, which is lighter than most common metals, and it can float on the surface of many liquids in liquid state.

Non-adhesive to glass and ceramics: Gallium does not adhere to glass or ceramic surfaces, and it can be used to make thermometers, density meters and other devices that need to be in contact with these materials.

Incompatible with Aluminum and Steel: Gallium reacts with metals such as aluminum and steel and causes them to become brittle.

Semiconductor properties: Gallium is a semiconductor material that can be used to make electronic devices such as solar cells and LEDs.

Liquid metal: At room temperature, gallium is a liquid metal that can be used to make devices such as pressure sensors and thermometers.

Magnetism: Gallium is diamagnetic at room temperature but becomes paramagnetic at low temperatures, making it useful in the fabrication of magnetic materials.

Solubility: Gallium can be dissolved in many liquid metals, such as aluminum, copper, etc., which makes it useful in the manufacture of metal alloys.

Corrosivity: Gallium is somewhat corrosive to many metals and nonmetals, but not to air and water.

The chemical properties of gallium

It has metallic luster, is soft and ductile (face-centered cubic crystal). The melting point is 1064.43°C. The boiling point is 3080°C. Relative density 19.3. Soluble in aqua regia Chemicalbook, potassium cyanide, insoluble in acid, cold water and hot water. At room temperature, its surface can be corroded by halogen solutions. Very inert, not corroded by acids, air or oxygen. Commodities are often made into sponge, powder and so on.

How gallium is produced

Industrial production uses industrial-grade metal gallium as raw material, and is further purified by electrolysis, vacuum distillation, fractional crystallization, and zone melting to produce high-purity gallium. The electrolytic method uses 99.99% industrial-grade gallium metal as the raw material, and undergoes electrolytic refining and other processes to produce high-purity gallium with a purity ≥ 99.999%.

Using ≥99.999% high-purity gallium as a raw material, further purifying by drawing a single crystal or other purification processes, the high-purity gallium is obtained with a purity of ≥99.99999%.

Applications of Gallium

Gallium with different purity can be used in different ways, such as:

4N metal gallium ≥ 99.99% can be used in photovoltaic substrates, magnetic materials, high temperature thermometers, low melting point alloys, optical glass, etc.

5N metal gallium ≥ 99.999% can be used as heat transfer medium and to make high-temperature vacuum pumps, ultraviolet light bulbs, etc.

6N high-purity gallium ≥ 99.9999% can be used for GaAs, GaP, GaSb, and NB-Fe-B advanced magnetic materials for LEDs.

7N high-purity gallium ≥ 99.99999% is used to make insulating GaAs, which is used as a substrate for IC.

8N (MBE) ultra-pure gallium ≥ ∞% can be used as the source of molecular beam epitaxy, making GaN blue LEDs and LDs, microwave circuits, and quantum devices.