gallium

American  

[gal-ee-uhm] / ˈgæl i əm /

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.

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gallium British  

/ 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

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gallium Scientific  

/ găl′ē-əm /

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

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Etymology

Origin of gallium

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gallium

Over 18 months starting in July 2023, Beijing imposed export controls on gallium, germanium, graphite, antimony and some rare-earth-related manufacturing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

The method worked with more than just gallium nitride.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Since then, his group has developed high-performance thermal interfaces and gallium nitride devices that incorporate boron arsenide for cooling.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

Leading the charge is the Defense Department, which unleashed a spree of deals securing equity in future gallium producer Atlantic Alumina and Canadian mining company Trilogy Metals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Sixteen years later all three of these predicted elements had been discovered, one by a Frenchman, one by a German and one by a Scandinavian, and named from patriotic impulse, gallium, germanium and scandium.

From Creative Chemistry Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries by Edwin E. Slosson

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