Indium
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ElizabethK (talk | contribs) at 20:07, November 15, 2008. It may differ significantly from current revision.
| Indium | |
|---|---|
| Properties | |
| Atomic symbol | In |
| Atomic number | 49 |
| Classification | Poor Metals |
| Atomic mass | 114.818 amu |
| Other Information | |
| Date of discovery | 1863 |
| Name of discoverer | Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Richter |
| Name origin | From the indigo blue it shows in a spectroscope. |
| Uses | Used as a coating for high speed bearings, in mirrors, solar cells, nuclear power regulators, photo cells, thermistors, and transistors. Also employed in low-melting alloys for safety devices. |
| Obtained from | Found in some zinc ores, but is primarily produced as a by-product of lead and zinc smelting. |
Indium is an element in the "poor metals" class (beyond the transition metals, before the nonmetals) of the periodic table. It is soft and silvery-white. It is stable in air and water, but dissolves in acids. It has a density of 7.310. It has two stable isotopes (actually one, but another one has a half-life of over 1014 years).