Like its sister metal germanium, indium is primarily produced as a byproduct from zinc mining. … “We have expanded our production capability to meet the growing demands of indium-tin-oxide manufacturers.”
How much indium do we have left?
According to a U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) report indium is abundant “in the Earth’s crust at an estimated 240 parts per billion by weight.
Where is indium mined?
About half of global primary refined indium is produced in China. The remaining production is predominantly in Belgium, Canada, Japan, Peru, and South Korea.
What is indium used for?
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 poisonous?
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.
Is it safe to chew indium?
When taken by mouth: Indium is POSSIBLY UNSAFE when taken by mouth. Indium is thought to be toxic to many parts of the body.
Is indium expensive?
The present cost of indium is about $1 to $5/g, depending on quantity and purity.
Is indium flammable?
INDIUM is a non-combustible solid in bulk form but is flammable in the form of a dust. Reacts with strong oxidizing agents. Reacts explosively with dinitrogen tetraoxide dissolved in acetonitrile.
Is indium named after India?
They named the element indium, from the indigo color seen in its spectrum, after the Latin indicum, meaning ‘of India‘.
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.
Can indium be recycled?
As much as 86% of indium can be recycled via this environment-friendly, time-efficient method.
Does the human body use indium?
How does it work? Indium does not have a biological role in the human body. There is no scientific support for claims that indium has beneficial effects.
What does indium taste like?
What does indium taste like? Cobalt has a mild, perfume-y taste, subtler than nickel, but reminiscent of it all the same. Indium starts out with a rich, creamy mouthfeel that makes you think sweetness is headed your way, but in reality it’s quite pungent (as many post-transition metals are.)
Is indium the softest metal?
About the element
Indium is the softest metal that is not an alkali metal. It is a silvery-white metal that resembles tin in appearance. It is a post-transition metal that makes up 0.21 parts per million of the Earth’s crust.
Is indium radioactive?
Two naturally occurring isotopes of indium exist, indium-113 and indium-115. … Indium-115 is radioactive. A radioactive isotope is one that breaks apart and gives off some form of radiation. Indium-115 has a half life of about 440 trillion years.
Which group is indium?
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.
Is it safe to play with gallium?
Gallium is a silvery metal and element number 31 on the Periodic Table, and it melts at 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s a temperature low enough for gallium to melt in your hand — and unlike the liquid metal mercury, gallium is safe to play with, according to chemists.
What are 3 uses of indium?
Indium is used to dope germanium to make transistors. It is also used to make other electrical components such as rectifiers, thermistors and photoconductors. Indium can be used to make mirrors that are as reflective as silver mirrors but do not tarnish as quickly. Indium is also used to make low melting alloys.
Is indium a phone?
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. Indium tin oxide is a compound of indium. This compound is transparent, which allows light to pass through.
How much indium is in a phone?
In this process, Silveira et al. recovered 0.2986 kg In from 1,000 kg of LCD screens (corresponding to indium content of 0.0299 wt% in the cell phone screens).