Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Road Walker who wrote (337984)	5/19/2007 8:49:09 AM
From: combjelly	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1573895

Here are the important points. Aluminum is very reactive with oxygen, more so than even hydrogen. So, in the presence of water, it will take the oxygen from the hydrogen, thus freeing. However, the aluminum oxide that is left is extremely non-reactive and insoluble. In a crystalline form, aluminum oxide is known as sapphire or ruby, depending on the color. My guess is that in gallium, both aluminum and aluminum oxide are soluble. So, instead of being left behind on the surface of the aluminum, thus limiting the reactions that can occur, the aluminum is made available for more reactions. Gallium has a pretty low melting point, about 30 degrees C or 86 degrees F. Now, I am not an expert on the element, but from the articles, it readily dissolves aluminum, forming an amalgam. Like mercury does with many metals like silver and gold. So the gallium could be loaded up with aluminum pretty easily. When water is introduced, the aluminum at the surface would react, forming the hydrogen and aluminum oxide. Enough heat should be generated to keep the amalgam in a liquid state, if, in fact, it was cool enough the be a solid in the first place. Not a given in our part of the country. Anyway, the gallium and the aluminum oxide could later be separated by distillation, if nothing else. So dealing with it is very low tech. and easy.