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Gallium metal melts in the warmth of a human hand

A low melting point of thirty degrees Celsius liquifies solid gallium metal

Gallium is a soft metallic element with an unusually low melting point of roughly 30 degrees Celsius. Because normal human body temperature sits around 37 degrees Celsius, holding a solid piece of gallium metal causes it to melt into a shiny liquid puddle. Gallium also expands when solidifying, much like water ice.

Gallium (31 Ga) photograph
Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements ยท CC BY 3.0 ยท licence ยท source

Where this comes from

US Department of Energy

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Tags: chemistry, gallium, metals

Gallium metal melts in the warmth of a human hand: the short answers

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A low melting point of thirty degrees Celsius liquifies solid gallium metal. The figure is taken from US Department of Energy, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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