Indium Atomic Number
49; Atomic Weight 114.82; Density 7.31 g/ccm; The name indium is derived from the characteristic indigo-blue line found in its spectrum. Indium was discovered and isolated in 1863 by Reich and Richter in residues of sphalerite from Freiberg which they investigated for thallium. It is found in many zinc minerals from which it is industrially produced. Indium also occurs in lead and copper ores. Indium is a very soft metal, characterized by its low melting point and its high boiling point. Its applications are
for low-melting alloys and soldering materials, for bearing metals and
increasingly nowadays for III/V-semiconductors. Indium compounds are used
for various applications, the most important being ITO (indium tin oxide),
used as transparent and electrically conductive thin film coating in the
manufacturing of displays and solar cells. |