Question

Is gallium a good conductor of heat and electricity

Answer 1

It sits close to the non-metals in the periodic table and its metallic properties aren't as obviously metallic as most other metals. Solid gallium is brittle and is a poorer electrical conductor than lead. ... Gallium also has the unusual property that (like water) it expands as it freezes.

Answer 2

Gallium was discovered by French chemist Paul E. Lecoq de Boisbaudran through a spectroscope in 1875 in Paris.

Its now characteristic spectrum (two violet lines) identified it as a new element.

De Boisbaudran extracted gallium in the first instance from a zinc blende ore from the Pyrenees and obtained initially only 0.65 grams from 430 kilograms of ore. He isolated gallium by electrolysis of its hydroxide in potassium hydroxide solution.  

The origin of the name comes from the Latin word ‘Gallia’, meaning France.  

Gallium is a silvery, glass-like, soft metal. It sits close to the non-metals in the periodic table and its metallic properties aren’t as obviously metallic as most other metals. Solid gallium is brittle and is a poorer electrical conductor than lead.  

Gallium arsenide is used in semiconductor production mainly for laser diodes, light-emitting diodes and solar panels. It is also used to create brilliant mirrors.