INDIO
SI QUIERES MÁS INFORMACIÓN, EN VÍDEO, INFOGRAFÍA Y TEXTO, HAZ CLIC ABAJO
Two coworkers had a falling out, discovery
The Indium is a very, soft silvery-white metal with a brillant luster. It is a ductible, malleable and when you bent it emits a unique sound. Indium was discovered in 1863 by Ferdinand Reich at the Freiberg School of Mines in Germany. Reich was investigating a sample of the mineral zinc blende (now known as sphalerite, ZnS) which he believed might contain the recently discovered element thallium. From it he obtained a yellow precipitate which he thought was thallium sulfide, but his atomic spectroscope showed lines that were not those of thallium. However, because he was colour-blind he asked Hieronymous Richter to look at the spectrum, and he noted a brilliant violet line, and this eventually gave rise to the name indium, from the Latin word indicum meaning violet.
Working together Reich and Richter isolated a small sample of the new element and announced its discovery. Subsequently the two men fell out when Reich learned that when Richter, on a visit to Paris, claimed he was the discover.
Indium wire
A crying metal
Indium is a very soft metal. If you bend a piece of indium metal, it gives a high-pitched squeak. Once you’ve heard it, you’ll never forget it. This “cry” is caused by the disintegration and reorganization of crystals inside the metal. This phenomenon also arises when you bend tin, the neighboring element in the periodic table
Uses
This element did not have significant application until WWII, when it was used for coating bearings in high-performance aircraft. Today, it is used in LCD televisions and computer monitors in the form of indium tin oxide. It is a good conductor of electricity, which can send signals to individual pixels on the screen without light interference from other pixels. The production of indium has increased considerably in recent decades, and China is the world’s leading producer of it. Based on current rates of consumption, scientists predict that indium supplies are only sufficient for 13 years. So that humanity can continue to use televisions, computers and smartphones, additional recycling is required for the extraction of indium or we will have to be confident in space mining (see Europium for further information about space mining)
Tiny crown at heart of miniature space thruster
The IFM Nano Thruster is a miniaturised ion thruster – with an electric field applied to accelerate electrically-charged atoms (known as ions) to produce thrust – that uses liquid indium as its propellant.
The IFM Nano Thruster is a miniaturised ion thruster – with an electric field applied to accelerate electrically-charged atoms (known as ions) to produce thrust – that uses liquid indium as its propellant.
The IMF Nano Thruster was initially developed for ESA’s proposed Next Generation Gravity Mission, requiring compensation for air drag at the top of the atmosphere for high-fidelity gravitational measurements.
spiked tungsten crown