Gallium (Ga): Guide to Properties, Uses, and Market Price

Gallium: A unique metal with extraordinary low-melting properties

Gallium is a post-transition metal with a melting point just above room temperature (29.76°C). This property allows it to melt in your hand and makes it useful in high-precision thermometers, low-melting alloys, and electronics. Gallium compounds are essential in semiconductors, LEDs, and solar panels.

Properties of gallium

What does gallium look like?

Gallium is silvery, metallic, and soft. Its surface reflects light, giving it a shiny metallic sheen. In its solid state, it is brittle, but when melted, it becomes a silvery liquid that does not wet glass or porcelain easily.

Will we ever run out of gallium?

Gallium is relatively rare, typically obtained as a byproduct of aluminum and zinc refining. While supplies are sufficient for current applications, demand from electronics and renewable energy sectors could influence availability in the future.

Can gallium be recycled?

Yes, gallium can be recycled from semiconductor waste, LEDs, and solar panel residues, reducing dependency on primary extraction and minimizing environmental impact.

Where can gallium be found?

Gallium is not found free in nature. It occurs in trace amounts in minerals such as:

• Bauxite (aluminum ore)
• Sphalerite (zinc ore)
• Germanite

Major production comes from China, Germany, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine.

Is gallium expensive?

Gallium is moderately expensive due to its rarity and extraction complexity. High demand from electronics, LEDs, and photovoltaic industries influences price.

Does gallium have a biological role?

Gallium has no known biological function but is studied for medical applications, including radiopharmaceuticals and antimicrobial research.

What is pure gallium used for?

• Electronics: Gallium arsenide (GaAs) for semiconductors, LEDs, and laser diodes
• Solar Panels: Gallium-based compounds for photovoltaic cells
• Low-Melting Alloys: Thermometers, heat transfer applications
• Research: High-temperature thermometers, metallurgical experiments

What are the main compounds with gallium?

• Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) : Semiconductors, LEDs, and laser diodes.
• Gallium Nitride (GaN) : LEDs, high-frequency transistors, and power electronics.
• Gallium Oxide (Ga₂O₃) : Used in electronics, transparent conductive films, and catalysts.
• Gallium Chloride (GaCl₃) : Chemical synthesis and catalyst applications.

Who discovered gallium?

Gallium was discovered in 1875 by French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran via spectroscopy of sphalerite. He named it after "Gallia," the Latin name for France. Its discovery confirmed Dmitri Mendeleev’s predicted element "eka-aluminium."

Is gallium dangerous?

Gallium is generally non-toxic and safe to handle in elemental form. Some gallium compounds can be hazardous, so standard laboratory precautions are advised.

Fun facts about gallium

• Gallium can melt in your hand due to its low melting point.
• It expands when solidifying, unlike most metals, making it useful in precise casting experiments.
• Gallium-based LEDs revolutionized lighting and electronics.
• Gallium does not wet glass, porcelain, or skin easily when liquid.
• GaAs semiconductors are widely used in smartphones, solar cells, and satellites.

Scientific data verified from RSC, Britannica, and the Minerals Education Coalition.