Gallium

Gallium has a light blue metal colour, a particularly low melting point, and a relatively high boiling temperature. In the solid state, Gallium is soft, but breaks under heavy loads. The special thing about Gallium is the liquefaction, which can already be achieved with hand warmth. Liquid Gallium has a wetting ability, which is why a light grey smear film appears on the skin. The metal is non-toxic and is therefore suitable as a non-volatile Mercury substitute, e. g. for fillings in thermometer. Light-emitting diodes are also produced with help of the semiconductor Gallium nitride. Gallium is furthermore used as an alloy additive in dental technology-processing areas, in special crystal materials and as a liquid metal thermal paste.