October 31 - November 3, 2004
Element of the Day
Monday, October 11
Indium was discovered by Reich
and Richter. Indium is a very soft, silvery-white metal with a brilliant luster.
The pure metal gives a high-pitched "scream" when bent. It wets glass,
as does gallium. It is useful for making low-melting alloys. An alloy of 24%
indium and 76% gallium is liquid at room temperature. Canada produces the
majority of the world's supply of indium. Standard state: solid at 298 K. Color:
silvery lustrous gray. Classification: Metallic