How To Make Galinstan

less than 1m read

·Nov 10, 2024

Let's make some Gallon Stan. Unlike Mercury, Gallon Stan is not toxic, and it's a liquid at room temperature. Unlike Gallium, which is solid up until about 30 Celsius, you have to hold this for a while before it starts getting drippy. No, no, no, you deserve a metal that is almost always wet.

I'm going to need this magnifying sheet. It's a bit floppy, but I can just whip out my tools and build a sturdy frame. The lens can focus the sun's energy enough to easily melt 10. That's great because, by weight, Gallon Stan is 10% tin, 20% indium— the only element you can safely chew like bubblegum— and 70% gallium.

To speed things up, I used my lens to melt the metals down. They began to amalgamate; their respective atoms all get in each other's way, frustrating crystallization. So instead of melting at 232, 156, or 30, Gallon Stan melts at just 11.

I froze some Gallium and some Gallon Stan in my freezer, and watch this! After just a few minutes, the Gallium was still solid, but the Gallon Stan was a nice shiny mirror soup.

BEST IMAGES OF THE WEEK: IMG! episode 3

Two Vortex Rings Colliding in SLOW MOTION - Smarter Every Day 195

View All

The Secret Culture of Orcas | Podcast | Overheard at National Geographic

We’re up there just about the time that the polar night occurs, so that means it’s going to be dark essentially 24 hours a day. The sun never gets above the mountain peaks, so the light levels are extremely low. You’re in a boat in these little coves or, …

Motion along a curve: finding rate of change | Advanced derivatives | AP Calculus BC | Khan Academy

We’re told that a particle moves along the curve (x^2 y^2 = 16), so that the x-coordinate is changing at a constant rate of -2 units per minute. What is the rate of change, in units per minute, of the particle’s y-coordinate when the particle is at the po…

Worked example: Calculating mass percent | AP Chemistry | Khan Academy

So right over here, I have the molecular formula for glucose. And so let’s just say that I had a sample of pure glucose right over here. This is my little pile of glucose. I’m not even going to tell you its mass, but based on the molecular formula, can yo…

Witness to Steve Irwin's Death - Smarter Every Day116

Hey it’s me Destin, welcome back to Smarter Every Day. So I think we will all agree that Steve Irwin was one of the best science communicators that has ever existed. I mean he knew the knowledge and it was like a fire in his bones; he had to share it wit…

Hard Times for Marciano | Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks

Hi Eva, where’s mama? She’s outside. She’s outside shoveling. So far, this season’s been pretty tough. You know, we haven’t caught a fish yet, so we’re struggling financially. But truth be told, the toughest part about coming all this way is being away …

What Will Happen If the Rivers Disappear? | Short Film Showcase

[Music] It would make a huge difference, folks. We’re making the decisions; we’d get out and see just how special Texas rivers are and Texas bays are. I have to believe it would change the way they approach decisions, really understand what’s at stake. S…

How To Make Galinstan

More Articles