“Though solid at room temperature, gallium is a moldable metal that melts at 84 degrees Fahrenheit. A classic science prank is to mold gallium spoons, serve them with tea, and watch guests recoil as their utensils disappear”
Do you want to pull a prank on someone? Give them a hot drink with a special spoon. In a few short moments, the spoon will disappear!
But how does this spoon disappear? Does it magically vanish into thin air? Does it have a mind of its own and decide to go off on an adventure? Or maybe it grew wings and flew away? This special spoon is actually made with gallium, an element on the periodic table. Gallium is a metal that is silver-colored and soft, and its properties are not very metal like compared to most metals, one example being its low electric conductivity. Gallium is an interesting metal because it is solid at room temperature, but if you hold it, it will melt from the heat of your hand.
A melting point of any substance is the temperature needed for a solid’s atoms or molecules to partially overcome their attraction for each other and become a liquid, being able to move more freely. Since the melting point is determined by how strong the attraction between atoms or molecules are, the weaker the attractions, the lower the melting point is. Although most metals have very high melting points, gallium is one exception. Gallium has the third lowest melting point of all metals, at 29 °C, but other metals have melting points above 500 °C. Why is gallium’s melting point so low compared to many other metals? In solid gallium, two gallium atoms are bonded semi-covalently, with weak attraction to other gallium pairs. Since the attractions are weak, the melting point is very low. These weak attractions explain why gallium, and other metals such as mercury, have low melting points compared to most metals.
Sadly, the spoon did not really vanish into thin air, go on an adventure, or grow wings and fly away. It is not as special as is seems. All it did was melt from the heat of the drink. So if you decide to pull the disappearing spoon prank, all you would get is a drink with some melted metal and a friend that has lost their trust in you. Perhaps it should be called the disappearing friend trick instead. As for the drink you gave them, it is best not to drink it, for safety purposes.
