Gallium (Ga)

Soft, silvery metal

Gallium is a soft metal that melts in your hand and is the backbone of every smartphone chip, and with a melting point of 302.9 K (29.76°C), gallium liquefies near body temperature. Its semiconductor properties (bandgap 1.42 eV) make it essential for LEDs, solar cells, and GaAs integrated circuits.

Key metrics

Density5.91g/cm³

Melting point303K

Boiling point2,477K

Electronegativity1.81Pauling

Discovery

1875discovered

Discovered by: Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran
Reactivity profile: Melts near room temperature
Reactivity: Low
Bonding: Metallic

Electron configuration

\textcolor{#6b7280}{[Ar]}\; \textcolor{#22c55e}{3_{d}^{10}}\; \textcolor{#ef4444}{4_{s}^{2}}\; \textcolor{#3b82f6}{4_{p}^{1}}

[Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p1

Wave function

\Psi_{\text{Ga}} \approx \frac{1}{\sqrt{31!}} \det \left| \chi_1(\mathbf{r}_1) \dots \chi_{31}(\mathbf{r}_{31}) \right|

Probability density $|\Psi|^2$ across the Ga valence shell.

Crystal structure

Orthorhombic

Lattice constantsa 1.00 · b 1.30 · c 0.90

Cell anglesα = β = γ = 90°

Coordination number—

Atoms per cell—

Atomic packing factor0.60

Physical properties

Atomic radius: 135 pm
Ionization energy: 579 kJ/mol
Electron affinity: 29 kJ/mol
Crystal structure: Orthorhombic

Oxidation states

Acid/base

Can act as acid or base

Strongly acidicStrongly basic

State at 25 °CSolid

303 K2477 K298 K

Emission spectrum

3 transitions

380450500550600650700780

VioletBlueGreenYellowRed

403.3nmGa I (violet)Violet100%

417.2nmGa I (blue)Violet70%

426.2nmGa IViolet50%

Dominant line 403.3 nmRange 403–426 nmTransitions 3