Melting point is an important characteristic that most often applies specifically to metals. It depends on many physical properties of substances - their purity and crystalline structure. Which metal is the most fusible: Li, Al, Hg, Cu? Let's find out which of them can really be called such.
Most fusible metals
Melting is the transition from solid to liquid. It occurs under the influence of heat, but depends on a number of physical factors, such as pressure. An important role in how easily and heavily a substance can be melted is also played by its composition, crystal size in the lattice, and bond strength between atoms.
The melting point of metals varies greatly and can even have minus values. It ranges from -39 to +3410 degrees Celsius. The hardest to turn into a liquid are molybdenum, tungsten, chromium, titanium. For this process, they need to be heated to a temperature of at least 2000 degrees.
The most fusible metals are gallium, mercury, lithium, tin, lead, zinc, indium, bismuth, thallium. Read more about some of them below.
Mercury
Useful in many areas, but poisonous metal was known even before our era. Ancient and medieval doctors used mercury to treat sexually transmitted diseases and many other diseases, alchemists tried to make gold out of it. Today it is used in electrical engineering, instrumentation and organic chemistry.
Ruthenium is the most fusible metal on the planet. Under normal room conditions, it is always liquid, since its melting point is -39 degrees. Its vapors are very dangerous, therefore mercury is contained only in containers and special glass flasks. It acts like poison on the body, poisoning it and disabling the nervous, immune, respiratory and digestive systems.
Gallium
The second in the list of the most fusible metals is gallium. It becomes liquid at temperatures above 29.5 degrees Celsius, and you can soften it just by holding it a little in your hands. Under normal conditions, gallium is very fragile, easily mechanically exposed and painted in a light silver, somewhat bluish tint.
Metal is very dispersed in the earth's crust and does not occur in the form of nuggets. In nature, it is found in various minerals such as pomegranate, muscovite, tourmaline, chlorite, feldspar. In addition, it is found in sea water. Gallium is used in high-frequency electronics, for the manufacture of mirrors and various alloys.
Indium
As a simple substance, indium is very light, malleable and soft so much that it even leaves a mark if they are drawn on paper. It is also one of the most fusible metals, but only temperatures above 157 ° C affect it. It boils at 2072 degrees.
Like gallium, indium does not form its own deposits, but is contained in various ores. Due to its dispersal in nature, metal is quite expensive. It is used in microelectronics, for the manufacture of low-melting alloys, solders, liquid crystal screens for technology.
Tin
Tin melts at temperatures above 231 degrees Celsius. It is plastic and soft metal, light silver color. It exists in four allotropic modifications, two of them appear only at high pressure.
Tin is rather scattered in nature, but can form its own minerals, for example, stannin and cassiterite. It is used as a coating for metals to enhance their resistance to corrosion, as well as for the production of tin, foil, various alloys, dishes and parts for musical instruments.
Lithium
Lithium is the most low-melting metal, which becomes a liquid at a temperature of 180 degrees. It is soft, and lends itself well to forging and machining. It belongs to alkali metals, but is much worse than the rest of the group. It reacts slowly with moist air, and remains almost stable in a dry atmosphere.
Metal is found in spodumene, lepidolite, in deposits with tin, bismuth and tungsten, and is found in sea water and in stellar space objects. Lithium is often used for the manufacture of galvanic cells, batteries, used as an oxidizing agent, as well as in pyrotechnics. In alloys with cadmium, copper and aluminum, it is used in space, military and aviation technology.