Introduction
Group: 13 or III A
Atomic Weight: 114.818
Period: 5
CAS Number: 7440-74-6
Classification
No Stable Isotopes
Solid
Liquid
Gas
Solid (Predicted)
Description • Uses/Function
Discovered by Reich and Richter, who later isolated the metal. Indium is most frequently associated with zinc materials, and it is from thesethat most commercial indium is now obtained; however, it is also found in iron, lead, and copper ores. Until 1924, a gram or so constituted the world’ssupply of this element in isolated form. It is probably about as abundant as silver. About 4 million troy ounces of indium are now produced annuallyin the Free World. Canada is presently producing more than 1,000,000 troy ounces annually. The present cost of indium is about $2 to $10/g, dependingon quantity and purity. It is available in ultrapure form. Indium is a very soft, silvery-white metal with a brilliant luster. The pure metal gives a highpitched“cry” when bent. It wets glass, as does gallium. It has found application in making low-melting alloys; an alloy of 24% indium-76% galliumis liquid at room temperature. It is used in making bearing alloys, germanium transistors, rectifiers, thermistors, and photoconductors. It can be platedonto metal and evaporated onto glass, forming a mirror as good as that made with silver but with more resistance to atmospheric corrosion. There isevidence that indium has a low order of toxicity; however, care should be taken until further information is available. Sixty seven isotopes and isomersare now recognized (more than any other element). Natural indium contains two isotopes. One is stable. The other, 115In, comprising 95.71% of naturalindium is slightly radioactive with a very long half-life. 1
• "used in some alloys with silver and lead to make good heat conductors. Most indium is used in electronics." 2
Physical Properties
Melting Point:3* 156.60 °C = 429.75 K = 313.88 °F
Electron Configuration: [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p1
n = 5
Electronegativity (Pauling scale):5 1.78
Specific Heat: 0.233 J/g°C 9 = 26.753 J/mol°C = 0.056 cal/g°C = 6.394 cal/mol°C
Earth - Source Compounds: sulfides 15
External Links:
Magazines:
(1) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:16.
Boiling Point:3* 2072 °C = 2345.15 K = 3761.6 °F
Sublimation Point:3
Triple Point:3
Critical Point:3
Density:4 5.7747 g/cm3
* - at 1 atm
Electron Configuration
Block: p
Highest Occupied Energy Level: 5
Valence Electrons: 3
Quantum Numbers:
ℓ = 1
mℓ = -1
ms = +½
Bonding
Electropositivity (Pauling scale): 2.22
Electron Affinity:6 0.3 eV
Oxidation States: +3
Work Function:7 4.08 eV = 6.53616E-19 J
Ionization Potential
eV 8
kJ/mol
1
5.78636
558.3
Ionization Potential
eV 8
kJ/mol
2
18.8698
1820.7
Ionization Potential
eV 8
kJ/mol
3
28.03
2704.5
4
54
5210.2
Thermochemistry
Thermal Conductivity: 81.6 (W/m)/K, 27°C 10
Heat of Fusion: 3.263 kJ/mol 11 = 28.4 J/g
Heat of Vaporization: 231.5 kJ/mol 12 = 2016.2 J/g
State of Matter
Enthalpy of Formation (ΔHf°)13
Entropy (S°)13
Gibbs Free Energy (ΔGf°)13
(kcal/mol)
(kJ/mol)
(cal/K)
(J/K)
(kcal/mol)
(kJ/mol)
(s)
0
0
13.82
57.82288
0
0
(g)
58.15
243.2996
41.51
173.67784
49.89
208.73976
Isotopes
Nuclide
Mass 14
Half-Life 14
Nuclear Spin 14
Binding Energy
100In
99.93111(27)
5.9(2) s
(6,7)+
833.07 MeV
101In
100.92634(32)#
15.1(3) s
9/2+#
851.39 MeV
102In
101.92409(12)
23.3(1) s
(6+)
859.46 MeV
103In
102.919914(27)
60(1) s
9/2+#
876.84 MeV
104In
103.91830(9)
1.80(3) min
5,6(+)
884.92 MeV
105In
104.914674(19)
5.07(7) min
9/2+
892.99 MeV
106In
105.913465(13)
6.2(1) min
7+
901.06 MeV
107In
106.910295(12)
32.4(3) min
9/2+
909.13 MeV
108In
107.909698(10)
58.0(12) min
7+
926.52 MeV
109In
108.907151(6)
4.2(1) h
9/2+
934.59 MeV
110In
109.907165(13)
4.9(1) h
7+
942.66 MeV
111In
110.905103(5)
2.8047(5) d
9/2+
950.73 MeV
112In
111.905532(6)
14.97(10) min
1+
958.80 MeV
113In
112.904058(3)
STABLE
9/2+
966.87 MeV
114In
113.904914(3)
71.9(1) s
1+
974.94 MeV
115In
114.903878(5)
4.41(25)E+14 a
9/2+
983.01 MeV
116In
115.905260(5)
14.10(3) s
1+
991.09 MeV
117In
116.904514(6)
43.2(3) min
9/2+
999.16 MeV
118In
117.906354(9)
5.0(5) s
1+
1,007.23 MeV
119In
118.905845(8)
2.4(1) min
9/2+
1,015.30 MeV
120In
119.90796(4)
3.08(8) s
1+
1,023.37 MeV
121In
120.907846(29)
23.1(6) s
9/2+
1,031.44 MeV
122In
121.91028(5)
1.5(3) s
1+
1,030.20 MeV
123In
122.910438(26)
6.17(5) s
(9/2)+
1,038.27 MeV
124In
123.91318(5)
3.11(10) s
3+
1,046.34 MeV
125In
124.91360(3)
2.36(4) s
9/2+
1,054.41 MeV
126In
125.91646(4)
1.53(1) s
3(+#)
1,062.48 MeV
127In
126.91735(4)
1.09(1) s
9/2(+)
1,070.56 MeV
128In
127.92017(5)
0.84(6) s
(3)+
1,069.31 MeV
129In
128.92170(5)
611(4) ms
9/2+#
1,077.38 MeV
130In
129.92497(4)
0.29(2) s
1(-)
1,085.45 MeV
131In
130.92685(3)
0.28(3) s
(9/2+)
1,093.53 MeV
132In
131.93299(7)
206(4) ms
(7-)
1,092.28 MeV
133In
132.93781(32)#
165(3) ms
(9/2+)
1,100.35 MeV
134In
133.94415(43)#
140(4) ms
1,099.11 MeV
135In
134.94933(54)#
92(10) ms
9/2+#
1,107.18 MeV
97In
96.94954(64)#
5# ms
9/2+#
792.09 MeV
98In
97.94214(21)#
45(23) ms [32(+32-11) ms]
0+#
806.68 MeV
99In
98.93422(43)#
3.1(8) s [3.0(+8-7) s]
9/2+#
822.20 MeV
Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from systematic trends. Spins with weak assignment arguments are enclosed in parentheses. 14
Abundance
Earth - Seawater: 0.002 mg/L 16
Earth -
Crust:
0.25 mg/kg = 0.000025% 16
Earth -
Total:
2.14 ppb 17
Mercury -
Total:
0.024 ppb 17
Venus -
Total:
2.24 ppb 17
Chondrites - Total: 0.001 (relative to 106 atoms of Si) 18
Compounds
indium(I) chloride; indium monochloride
indium(I) fluoride
indium(I) hydride
indium(I, III) iodide
indium(II) bromide
indium(II) chloride; indium dichloride
indium(II) selenide
indium(II) sulfide
Safety Information
Material Safety Data Sheet - ACI Alloys, Inc.
For More Information
American Elements
Chemical & Engineering News
Chemical Elements
ChemGlobe
Chemicool
Environmental Chemistry
(1) Moyer, Michael. How Much is Left?. Scientific American, September 2010, pp 74-81.
Sources
(2) - Whitten, Kenneth W., Davis, Raymond E., and Peck, M. Larry. General Chemistry 6th ed.; Saunders College Publishing: Orlando, FL, 2000; p 933.
(3) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:132.
(4) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84th ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:39-4:96.
(5) - Dean, John A. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 11th ed.; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, NY, 1973; p 4:8-4:149.
(6) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84th ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 10:147-10:148.
(7) - Speight, James. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 16th ed.; McGraw-Hill Professional: Boston, MA, 2004; p 1:132.
(8) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 10:178 - 10:180.
(9) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4:133.
(10) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; pp 6:193, 12:219-220.
(11) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; pp 6:123-6:137.
(12) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; pp 6:107-6:122.
(13) - Dean, John A. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 12th ed.; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, NY, 1979; p 9:4-9:94.
(14) - Atomic Mass Data Center. http://amdc.in2p3.fr/web/nubase_en.html (accessed July 14, 2009).
(15) - Silberberg, Martin S. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, 4th ed.; McGraw-Hill Higher Education: Boston, MA, 2006, p 965.
(16) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 14:17.
(17) - Morgan, John W. and Anders, Edward, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77, 6973-6977 (1980)
(18) - Brownlow, Arthur. Geochemistry; Prentice-Hall, Inc.: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1979, pp 15-16.