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Gallium

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Encyclopedia of Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

FormalPara Element Data

Atomic Symbol: Ga

Atomic Number: 31

Atomic Weight: 69.723 ± 1 g/mol

Isotopes and Abundances: 69Ga 60.1%;71Ga 39.9%

1 Atm Melting Point: 29.8 °C

1 Atm Boiling Point: ~2,400 °C

Common Valences: +3

Ionic Radii Values: 47 pm (fourfold); 62 pm (sixfold)

Pauling Electronegativity: 1.81

First Ionization Energy: 174.6 kJ/mol

Chondritic (CI) Abundance: 9.5 ± 0.3 μg/g

Silicate Earth Abundance: 4.0 μg/g

Crustal Abundance: 17.5 μg/g

Seawater Abundance: ~1.2 pg/g

Core Abundance: <1 μg/g

Properties

Gallium does not occur as a native metal and forms very few minerals like gallite (CuGaS2), but widely occurs in nature as a trace constituent substituted for Al. Gallium metal is prepared as a by-product of aluminum production from bauxite ore and from Zn ores (e.g., sphalerite). Synthetically prepared metallic Ga is a soft, silvery white metal and has a melting point below human body temperature so it can be readily melted in one’s hand. Liquid gallium is one of a few substances...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Munir Humayun

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  1. Munir Humayun
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Correspondence to Munir Humayun .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    William M. White

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Humayun, M. (2018). Gallium. In: White, W.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39312-4_246

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