gallium

[gal-ee-uhm]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a rare, steel-gray, trivalent metallic element used in high-temperature thermometers because of its high boiling point (1983°C) and low melting point (30°C). Ga; 69.72; 31; 5.91 at 20°C.

gallium

/ ˈɡælɪəm /

noun

1. a silvery metallic element that is liquid for a wide temperature range. It occurs in trace amounts in some ores and is used in high-temperature thermometers and low-melting alloys. Gallium arsenide is a semiconductor. Symbol: Ga; atomic no: 31; atomic wt: 69.723; valency: 2 or 3; relative density: 5.904; melting pt: 29.77°C; boiling pt: 2205°C

gallium

1. A rare, silvery metallic element that is found as a trace element in coal, in bauxite, and in several minerals. It is liquid near room temperature and expands when it solidifies. It is used in thermometers and semiconductors. Atomic number 31; atomic weight 69.72; melting point 29.78°C; boiling point 2,403°C; specific gravity 5.907; valence 2, 3.

2. See Periodic Table

Word History and Origins

Origin of gallium¹

1870–75; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin gall ( us ) cock (translation of French coq, from Lecoq de Boisbaudran, 19th-century French chemist) + New Latin -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of gallium¹

C19: from New Latin, from Latin gallus cock, translation of French coq in the name of its discoverer, Lecoq de Boisbaudran, 19th-century French chemist

Example Sentences

We’re looking at new materials, like gallium nitride and silicon carbide, to drive new energy density and energy efficiency.

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The White House approves the Ambler Road Project to access Alaska’s mineral potential, including copper, cobalt, gallium, and germanium.

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This is something it has already done in the case of two materials called germanium and gallium, which are used by the military in thermal imaging and radar.

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He and his colleagues initially placed flecks of diamond on shards of a silicon wafer and added droplets of molten gallium and other liquid metals, then exposed the mix to methane or other carbon-containing gases.

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To achieve this, the team focused on an emerging material called iron gallium telluride.

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