The element was first spectroscopically discovered in 1875 by the French chemist Paul Em Lecoque de Boyce Badrun. Slightly liquefies at ambient temperature. It is completely liquid when taken in one’s hands. The main use of gallium is in semiconductors in light emitting diodes (L.E.Ds). The compounds used are gallium nitride and gallium arsenide.
Elemental gallium is not found in nature. But it can be made very easily by smelting. Pure gallium is a bright silver color. The crack of solid metal is similar to that of glass. Gallium expands by 3.1% when converted to solid state. In glass and metal utensils, gallium is not stored as it may crack during cooling. Gallium is one of the few substances in the liquid state that is more dense than the solid state. Liquid gallium has the property of adhering easily to body skin and glass.
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