Like both, indium has a low melting point, 156.60 ☌ (313.88 ☏) higher than its lighter homologue, gallium, but lower than its heavier homologue, thallium, and lower than tin. Like gallium, indium is able to wet glass. Like tin, a high-pitched cry is heard when indium is bent – a crackling sound due to crystal twinning. It is a member of group 13 on the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between its vertical neighbors gallium and thallium. It is so soft ( Mohs hardness 1.2) that it can be cut with a knife and leaves a visible line when rubbed on paper. Indium is a silvery-white, highly ductile post-transition metal with a bright luster. Properties Physical Indium wetting the glass surface of a test tube Indium has no biological role and its compounds are toxic when inhaled or injected into the bloodstream, although they are poorly absorbed following ingestion. It is produced exclusively as a by-product during the processing of the ores of other metals, chiefly from sphalerite and other zinc sulfide ores. Indium is also used in the semiconductor industry, in low-melting-point metal alloys such as solders and soft-metal high-vacuum seals. Indium is a technology-critical element used primarily in the production of flat-panel displays as indium tin oxide (ITO), a transparent and conductive coating applied to glass. It was discovered in 1863 by Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter by spectroscopic methods and named for the indigo blue line in its spectrum. Chemically, indium is similar to gallium and thallium, and its properties are largely intermediate between the two. It is a silvery-white post-transition metal and one of the softest elements. Indium is a chemical element it has symbol In and atomic number 49.
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