Indium

Indium is a silvery-white metal that resembles tin in appearance123. It is a post-transition metal that makes up 0.21 parts per million of the Earth's crust1. Indium is the softest metal that is not an alkali metal1.

It has a melting point higher than sodium and gallium, but lower than lithium and tin. Indium is quite rare and nearly always found as a trace element in other minerals, particularly in zinc and lead, from which it is typically obtained as a by product.

Hydrogen

Identity.

Indium is a post-transition metal that makes up 0.21 parts per million of the Earth’s crust. Very soft and malleable, indium has a melting point higher than sodium and gallium, but lower than lithium and tin. Chemically, indium is similar to gallium and thallium.

History.

Indium was discovered in 1863 by Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter while testing zinc ores with a spectrograph in search of thallium12. The element was named after the indigo line in its atomic spectrum123. Pure indium was isolated in 18641. In its early days, indium was used as a coating agent of bearing of aircraft engines in World War II13.

Indium is a chemical element with the symbol In and atomic number 49. It is a post-transitional metal in Group 13 of the periodic table. Indium is a relatively rare element, and it is the 69th most abundant element in the Earth's crust.

Paracelsus
Paracelsus

Indium was discovered in 1863 by Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter. They named the element after the indigo line in its spectrum. Indium is a soft, silvery-white metal that is malleable and ductile. It is resistant to corrosion and has a low melting point of 156.6 °C (313.9 °F).

Usage.

Indium was discovered in 1863 by Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter. It is named after the indigo line in its spectrum. Indium is found in trace amounts in zinc, lead, and iron ores. It is also found in some minerals, such as sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and galena. Indium is used in a variety of applications, including:

  • Soldering: Indium is used as a solder for joining metals. It is particularly useful for soldering metals that are difficult to solder, such as aluminum and stainless steel.
  • Electronics: Indium is used in the production of semiconductors, transistors, and other electronic components.
  • Glass: Indium is used to make glass more transparent and resistant to heat.
  • Medical imaging: Indium-111 is a radioactive isotope of indium that is used in medical imaging.
  • Manufacturing of ultra-high-vacuum applications, such as electron and X-ray spectroscopy
  • In dentistry, indium is used in the production of dental amalgams, which are used to fill cavities. Indium is also used in the production of some types of dental crowns and bridges.

Sources.

Indium is rarely found uncombined in nature and is typically found in zinc, iron, lead and copper ores. The vast majority (~90%) of indium is isolated as a byproduct of zinc mining1. The sphalerite (a sulfidic zinc ore) is the main ore from which indium is obtained as a by-product for commercial uses after its separation from zinc. The top producers of indium are China, Korea, Canada and Japan.