demonstrations:melting_gallium_in_your_hand
Melting Gallium in Your Hand
Materials: ★★★ Requires materials not commonly found in school laboratories
Difficulty: ★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
Safety: ★★☆ Some safety precautions required to perform safely
Categories: Elements and Periodic Table, Materials, Particles and States of Matter
Alternative titles: Gallium Hand-Melting Demonstration
Summary
Gallium, a metal with a melting point of 29.76 °C (85.6 °F), can melt in the palm of your hand. The demonstration shows how body heat is enough to turn solid gallium into a silvery liquid.
Procedure
- Obtain a sample of pure gallium (coin-sized pieces work well).
- Place the gallium in the palm of your hand and allow your body heat to warm it.
- Wait 3–5 minutes for the gallium to melt into a shiny liquid metal.
- When finished, tilt your hand to pour the liquid gallium into a non-metal container.
- Allow the gallium to cool and crystallize, observing the crystal formation.
Links
Science Experiments – Having Fun With Gallium - American Welding Society ®:
📄 How to Melt Gallium Metal in Your Hand - Thought Co: https://www.thoughtco.com/melt-gallium-metal-in-your-hand-607521
Variations
- Use a gallium spoon and “melt” it in hot water to perform a science magic trick.
Safety Precautions
- Wash hands thoroughly after handling gallium.
- Gallium wets skin and glass, leaving a gray residue that can be hard to wash off. Wearing gloves is optional but recommended.
- Do not allow gallium to contact jewelry or metal containers—it can damage them.
- Store gallium in plastic or flexible containers since it expands upon cooling.
- Do not ingest gallium or use it near food or drink.
Questions to Consider
- Why does gallium melt in your hand but not at room temperature? (Its melting point is just above room temperature, so body heat provides enough energy to melt it.)
- Why is gallium stored in plastic instead of glass? (Gallium wets glass and expands as it solidifies, which could crack rigid containers.)
- How does supercooling demonstrate the difference between liquid and solid states? (It shows that gallium can remain liquid below its freezing point until a disturbance initiates crystallization.)
- What makes gallium different from other metals like aluminum or iron? (It has an unusually low melting point, is non-toxic compared to mercury, and exhibits unusual crystalline properties.)