Is indium used in electronics?
Screens, Solar Panels, and Microchips Indium plays a big role when it comes to the most popular products in our modern world. Electronics that contain screens, such as the television and cell phone, contain indium tin oxide.
Can you eat indium?
Indium is relatively non-toxic and poses little immediate hazard to the health of emergency response personnel or the environment in an emergency situation. Potential Health Effects: Relatively non-toxic to humans by inhalation or ingestion.
What type of element is indium?
metal
Indium (In), chemical element, rare metal of main Group 13 (IIIa, or boron group) of the periodic table. Indium has a brilliant silvery-white lustre. It was discovered (1863) by German chemists Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymus Theodor Richter while they were examining zinc ore samples.
Why is indium important?
Most indium is used to make indium tin oxide (ITO), which is an important part of touch screens, flatscreen TVs and solar panels. This is because it conducts electricity, bonds strongly to glass and is transparent. Indium nitride, phosphide and antimonide are semiconductors used in transistors and microchips.
Is indium expensive?
Indium is produced as a byproduct primarily from zinc mining. China has 60-70% of the world’s indium smelting capacity. Indium’s price fluctuates wildly and currently the metal trades for $580 per kilogram.
Why is indium toxic?
Indium is considered a technology-critical element. Indium has no biological role. Its compounds are toxic when injected into the bloodstream. Most occupational exposure is through ingestion, from which indium compounds are not absorbed well, and inhalation, from which they are moderately absorbed.
Why is indium expensive?
What makes indium unique?
Indium metal remains unusually soft and malleable at very low temperatures, making it perfect for use in tools needed in extremely cold conditions, such as cryogenic pumps and high vacuum systems. Another unique quality is its stickiness, making it very useful as a solder.
Is the element indium dangerous?
Indium allows both men and women to maintain a stable weight without dangerous variations that can endanger health. Indium has a beneficial effect on the thyroid by stimulating and normalizing its function, allowing the body to burn more calories and normalize its mass. Indium is also believed to make the person more energetic.
Why is indium malleable?
Indium is ductile and malleable which allows it to deform and fill in the uneven microstructure of two mating parts, using only moderate pressure. This ductility and malleability is retained at cryogenic temperatures so that an assembly can maintain an effective seal, even in harsh environments.
What are the properties of indium?
Indium is a silvery-white, shiny metal with a density of 7.31 grams per cubic centimeter. It is one of the softest metals known, even softer than lead. If drawn across a piece of paper, it leaves a mark like a “lead” pencil (which is actually carbon). An unusual property of indium is that it produces a “tin cry.”.
What is the symbol for indium?
The symbol of the element Indium is In