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Storing Gallium

mfo

mfo

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Hey guys. I've noticed that some of you here are also obsessed with elemental Gallium. I've got some of it, however storing it seems to be a pain in the arse. No matter what I put it in, it seems to wet that material. Any tips on a good storage container (preferably see-through)? Thank you.
 





pseudolobster

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Glass?

I fail to believe it can soak into glass, and glass is see-through... Try like a baby food jar or something. Otherwise I suppose you can store it in your fridge to keep it solid until you want to play with it.
 
mfo

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pseudolobster said:
Glass?

I fail to believe it can soak into glass, and glass is see-through... Try like a baby food jar or something. Otherwise I suppose you can store it in your fridge to keep it solid until you want to play with it.
Click to expand...

Well it was liquefied when I placed it inside of a glass test tube. Now that it solidified, there's a thin trail of Gallium on the side of the tube where it ran down to the bottom.
 
Jaseth

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A small plastic ziplock baggie is what I use, and it works fine.. when I want to get it out I just throw it in the freezer for a while and then get it out as a nice chunk. You should not store gallium in any glass or metal container.

Seb
 
styropyro

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Gallium sticks to everything, including glass and plastic. If you can coat a glass container in Gallium Oxide then you will have a great container, but that wouldn't necessarily be cheap or easy.
 
mfo

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styropyro said:
Gallium sticks to everything, including glass and plastic. If you can coat a glass container in Gallium Oxide then you will have a great container, but that wouldn't necessarily be cheap or easy.
Click to expand...

Alright, thanks for your help. Also the test tube that my gallium is in cracked. When it solidified it expanded and cracked the tube. How would you recommend I go about recovering my Gallium without ripping my hands to shreds? (Very dumb move on my part, I know)
 
rocketparrotlet

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mfo said:
Alright, thanks for your help. Also the test tube that my gallium is in cracked. When it solidified it expanded and cracked the tube. How would you recommend I go about recovering my Gallium without ripping my hands to shreds? (Very dumb move on my part, I know)
Click to expand...

Put it in the freezer for a few hours, then break the glass, take out the solid block of gallium, and put it in a plastic baggie like Jaseth said. They work fine. (That's why I shipped them out in plastic baggies, guys, they work better than most anything else.)

Is it over 85*F where you live? That's probably why it's melting to the container...

-Mark
 
phoenix77

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I used a small (1&1/2") tall tiny glass vial that I got from my wife that had an ESSENTIAL OIL sample in. I washed it out very well, put my GALLIUM inside, & melted it with a BR LASER right through the glass till it all puddled in the bottom of the vial. You can probably go to a "HEAD SHOP" a get a bottle just like it. I've seen them used to store coke, crystal, H, etc........................rob
 
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