Gallium
Ga
31
69.723
1s22s22p63s23p63d104s24p1
Biological significance

➤ Helps to increase the strength of bone tissue and reduces the likelihood of osteoporosis.

Excess in the body

➤ The functioning of important organs, such as the kidneys, liver, and heart, is impaired.

➤ Ataxia, adynamia, areflexia, and CNS disturbances.

➤ Abnormal breathing rhythms, as well as plegia, a comatose state that can be fatal.

Deficiency in the body

➤ It causes muscle asthenia and osalgia

➤ A reduced amount of Gallium causes somnolence, hypotension, and CNS disorders.

Drugs/dose

➤ Gallium is used in dentistry to fill teeth (instead of mercury).

67Ga.

Conventional medicine

➤ It is used to treat conjunctivitis in the form of aqueous eye injections.

➤ For the treatment of trachoma, in the form of eye ointments.

72Ga isotope is used to diagnose bone carcinoma.

Unconventional medicine

-

Toxic effect/antidote

➤ Causes cephalgia, gastrointestinal disorders, namely the pharyngeal reflex.

➤ Painful abdominal cramps are observed.


➤ Antidote: Unitiol.

Interesting facts

➤ Gallium melts with the heat of the palm of your hand.

➤ Potassium leaves a trace on paper (like graphite); conducts electric current and heat in different directions in a crystal, like quartz (anisotropy; becomes solid without expanding like water).

➤ Gallium is a liquid in the range of 30-2230oC.

Chemist Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran
on how he discovered Gallium


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