 Discovery Information |
| Who:
Ferdinand Reich
,
H. Richter
|
| When: 1863 |
| Where: Germany |
|
| Name Origin |
| From the indigo blue it shows in a spectroscope. |
|
| Sources |
| Found in certain zinc, copper, iron and lead ores. Canada is the leading producer of indium. |
|
| Uses |
| Used to coat high speed bearings, in solar cells, mirrors, regulators in nuclear power, photo cells, the production of LCDs (this accounts for the majority of world-wide usage), transistors and blood and lung research. Used in the manufacture of low-melting-temperature alloys. An alloy consisting of 24% indium and 76% gallium is liquid at room temperature. |
|
| Notes |
| The Earth is estimated to contain about 0.1 ppm of indium which means it is about as abundant as silver, although indium is in fact nearly three times more expensive by weight. |
| As a pure metal indium emits a high-pitched "cry" when it is bent. |
| Pure indium in metal form is considered non-toxic. However, all indium compounds should be regarded as highly toxic. Indium compounds damage the heart, kidney, and liver, and may be
teratogenic
. |
