🔹 Basic Information

• Element Name: Indium
• Discovered By: Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymus Richter
• Year of Discovery: 1863
• Category: Post-transition Metal
• Group: 13
• State at Room Temperature: Solid (soft, silvery-white metal) ⚙️

Indium is a rare, soft metal that’s flexible and can be easily shaped.

🔸 Chemical Properties

• Chemical Symbol: In
• Atomic Number: 49
• Atomic Mass: ~114.82 u
• Valency: +3
• Electronic Configuration: [Kr] 4d¹⁰ 5s² 5p¹

Indium is stable in air and resists corrosion, making it useful in electronics.

📘 Basic Things to Know

Indium’s name comes from the indigo blue color seen in its spectrum during discovery. It’s often obtained as a byproduct of zinc ore processing.

🤔 Interesting Facts

• Indium is so soft that it can be cut with a knife. 🔪
• It sticks well to glass and other surfaces, making it great for special coatings.
• Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a key material used in touchscreens, flat-panel displays, and solar cells. 📱☀️
• It melts at a low temperature (~157°C), so it’s used in solders and fusible alloys.
• Despite being rare, indium’s modern technology uses have made it more important.

🔧 Common Uses

• Electronics: Used in touchscreens, LCDs, and solar panels through indium tin oxide coatings. 📱🖥️
• Solders and Alloys: Used in low-melting solders for electronics and specialized alloys. 🔧
• Coatings: Applied as a transparent conductive coating on glass.
• Nuclear Reactors: Sometimes used in control rods for nuclear reactors. ⚛️

📚 Conclusion

Indium is a soft, rare metal that helps make our smartphones and TVs work better! For students, it’s a great example of how even small amounts of special metals are vital in everyday technology. 🔬📱