Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A rare metallic element that is liquid near room temperature, expands on solidifying, and is found as a trace element in coal, bauxite, and other minerals. It is used in semiconductor technology, as a component of various low-melting alloys, and in producing blue light-emitting diodes. Atomic number 31; atomic weight 69.72; melting point 29.78°C; boiling point 2,403°C; specific gravity 5.907; valence 2, 3. cross-reference: Periodic Table.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Chemical symbol, Ga; specific gravity, 5.935. A rare malleable metal, discovered by means of spectrum analysis in 1875 by M. Lecoq de Boisbaudran in the zinc-blende of Pierrefitte in the Pyrenees.
- noun The discovery of this chemical element was peculiarly interesting, as furnishing striking evidence of the soundness of the theoretical views, as to the relations of the elements, which led Mendeléjeff in 1869 to predict the existence of such a substance and give a description of the properties it would be found to exhibit: his prediction required scarcely any correction when the element was actually discovered.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Chem.) A rare metallic element, found combined in certain zinc ores. It is white, hard, and malleable, resembling aluminium, and remarkable for its low melting point (86° F., 30° C.). Symbol, Ga; at. wt., 69.9. Gallium is chiefly trivalent, resembling aluminium and indium. It was predicted with most of its properties, under the name
eka-aluminium , by the Russian chemist Mendelyeev on the basis of the periodic law. This prediction was verified in its discovery (in 1875) by the French chemist Lecoq de Boisbaudran by its characteristic spectrum (two violet lines), in an examination of a zinc blende from the Pyrenees.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A chemical element (symbol Ga) with an
atomic number of 31; a soft bluish metal.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element; brittle at low temperatures but liquid above room temperature; occurs in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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One theory says that the name gallium comes from the Latin word for France, Gallia.
Gallium 2008
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The supply of gallium is predicted to be gone by 2017, based on current and future projections of usage.
Lighting the Big Apple With L.E.D.’s - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com 2008
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I was also familiar with the cutting-edge work in gallium arsenide heterostructures being done at the time through seminars and informal conversations with Mike Schlüter, who was good friends with
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Most companies fabricate the chips by laying down a material called gallium nitride on wafers of sapphire or silicon carbide.
The Quest for Cheaper, Better Lights Don Clark 2012
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Combining a compound known as a gallium corrole with a protein carrier results in a targeted cancer ...
THE MEDICAL NEWS 2010
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This means that we can produce nanowires that contain two different semiconductors, namely gallium indium arsenide and indium arsenide.
R&D Mag - News 2009
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Cambridge's new 100,000 hour, mercury-free LED bulb uses a man-made semiconductor called gallium nitride that is grown on a cheap silicon wafer.
Green Options 2009
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Cambridge's new 100,000 hour, mercury-free LED bulb uses a man-made semiconductor called gallium nitride that is grown on a cheap silicon wafer.
Renegade Futurist 2009
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Many optical components are typically constructed using materials such as gallium arsenide and indium phosphide.
IBM Claims Breakthrough in Laser-Based Chips Don Clark 2010
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While lasers are attractive, the materials that are used in lasers currently - such as gallium arsenide - can be difficult to integrate into fabs.
Wired Top Stories 2010
oroboros commented on the word gallium
Ga.
December 16, 2007
ruzuzu commented on the word gallium
It looks almost too good to be true--I loved playing with mercury in school.
September 28, 2010
fbharjo commented on the word gallium
How galling?
September 28, 2010
qroqqa commented on the word gallium
It sounds more fun than the mercury we all played with as kids before we saw the shadow demonstration of the fumes rising up.
September 28, 2010