gallium

[gal-ee-uh m] /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). Symbol: Ga; atomic weight: 69.72; atomic number: 31; specific gravity: 5.91 at 20°C.
Origin
1870-75; < Neo-Latin, equivalent to Latin gall(us) cock (translation of French coq, from Lecoq de Boisbaudran, 19th-century French chemist) + Neo-Latin -ium -ium
Examples from the web for gallium
  • The best mix they came up with was an alloy of gallium and indium.
  • gallium nitride had long been written off as fatally flawed.
  • Similarly, adding nitrogen to a semiconductor such as gallium arsenide phosphide will also give a multi-band semiconductor.
  • One involved depositing gallium arsenide on a rigid surface, then peeling it off to make a flexible solar cell.
  • The gallium is doing more than preventing an aluminum oxide coating, it is catalyzing the reaction in some way.
  • gallium is a silvery-white liquid at room temperature.
  • Statistics and information on the worldwide supply, demand, and flow of gallium.
  • However, there are exceptions, such as zinc and gallium.
  • The composition of the gallium target differs between the two experiments.
British Dictionary definitions for gallium

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
Word Origin
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
Word Origin and History for gallium
n.

metalic element, discovered by spectral lines in 1875 by French chemist Lecoq de Boisbaudran (1838-1912), who named it apparently in honor of his homeland (see Gallic), but it has been suggested that he also punned on his own name (cf. Latin gallus "cock").

gallium in Medicine

gallium gal·li·um (gāl'ē-əm)
n.
Symbol Ga
A rare metallic element that is liquid near room temperature and is found as a trace element in coal, bauxite, and other minerals. Atomic number 31; atomic weight 69.72; melting point 29.76°C; boiling point 2,204°C; specific gravity 5.904; valence 2, 3.

gallium in Science
gallium
  (gāl'ē-əm)   
Symbol Ga
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. See Periodic Table.