I am currently messing around with gallium compromising aluminum. I am using a titalium lock which is just a brand of aluminum padlock and I put a gallium-indium euctic alloy on the surface of it. It’s been around 10 minutes and on the surface of the liquid is a gold colored substance. What is this? Any idea why it’s happening??
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$\begingroup$ By the way this happens every time i expose aluminum to the gallium-indium alloy but doesn’t happen when it’s just gallium $\endgroup$– killakrabCommented Jul 1, 2018 at 17:08
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$\begingroup$ It also does not react with water when I put it in water. $\endgroup$– killakrabCommented Jul 3, 2018 at 20:00
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$\begingroup$ If anyone else has done experiments with gallium and aluminum please leave feedback on what you think this is $\endgroup$– killakrabCommented Jul 6, 2018 at 17:57
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1$\begingroup$ Do you see an attack of the aluminium surface? Could it be something similar to the aluminium mercury amalgam reaction, where the passivation of the aluminium surface is broken, and the oxide is forming at the surface of the liquid metal? The color then just being the result of impurities or small size of the aluminium oxide particles. $\endgroup$– FabianCommented Sep 2, 2019 at 19:46
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$\begingroup$ I think you are correct that this is small particles of aluminum oxide. Aluminum oxide appears slightly yellow in my opinion. $\endgroup$– Just a Hobby chemistCommented Oct 24, 2023 at 20:36
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1 Answer
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Low oxidation state indium oxide It cannot be pure aluminum oxide. Indium has stronger tendency to form mixed valence compounds than aluminum alone. I have also seen similarly golden compounds on other surfaces of tin alloys that were exposed to air while still liquid. There are many golden substances so You need to consider other components from the aluminum alloy of the lock, otherwise You may not be able to tell the difference just by looking.
