beergod - 15-4-2011 at 15:29
Why aren't there more people selling gallium on ebay? Its marked up quite a bit for small amounts. I can't seem to find 10g thats less then 40$
after shipping. Did anyone here buy bulk and want to sell some small amounts?
[Edited on 15-4-2011 by beergod]
Fleaker - 16-4-2011 at 08:56
It's because it's a DOT 8 corrosive material that must be shipped ground; it has many of the same hazmat restrictions that mercury has, sans it being
an environmental poison.
If you recall, mercury and gallium both interfere with the superficial oxide layer present on the surface of aluminum. Aluminum is a rather active
metal, so it quickly oxidizes with heat and evolution of the oxide (or hydrogen if moisture is present).
BromicAcid - 16-4-2011 at 09:08
Also take into account the intrinsic value of gallium, it's not cheap:
http://www.minormetals.com/
Currently about $725 / kg if you're an industrial customer so it's not like when someone repackages aluminum to sell and it's all profit, plus there
still has to be some markup. Combine that with the hazmat and it's starting to sound more reasonable.