Indium (In) – Periodic Table [Element Information & More]

Indium element (In) is in group 13 and period 5 of a periodic table. Indium is in the p-block and it is classified as a post-transition element on the periodic table.

There is a lot more information related to indium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.

So let’s dive right into it!

Table of contents

• Indium element (Information Table)
• Indium element in Periodic table
• Facts about Indium
• Properties of Indium
• Uses of Indium

Indium Element (Information Table)

The important data related to indium element is given in the table below.

Appearance of indium	Silvery gray lustrous appearance
Atomic number of indium	49
Symbol of indium	In
Atomic mass of indium	114.82 u
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in indium	Protons: 49, Neutrons: 66, Electrons: 49
State of indium (at STP)	Solid
Group number of indium in periodic table	13
Period number of indium in periodic table	5
Block of indium in periodic table	p-block
Category of indium	Post transition element (boron group)
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in indium	2, 8, 18, 18, 3
Electron configuration of indium	[Kr] 4d10 5s2 5p1
Orbital diagram of indium
Valence electrons in indium	3
Electronegativity of indium (on pauling scale)	1.78
Atomic radius of indium (van der Waals radius)	193 picometers
Density of indium	7.31 g/cm3
1st ionization energy of indium	5.786 eV
Main isotope of indium	115In
Melting point of indium	429.7 K or 156.5 °C or 313.8 °F
Boiling point of indium	2345 K or 2072 °C or 3762 °F
Crystal structure of indium	Tetragonal
Discovery of indium	By Hieronymous Theodor Richter and Ferdinand Reich (in 1863)

Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).

Indium element in Periodic table

The Indium element (In) has the atomic number 49 and is located in group 13 and period 5. Indium is a metal and it is classified as a post-transition element.

Click on above elements in the periodic table to see their information.

Facts about indium

Here are a few interesting facts about indium element.

1. Indium was given its name from the Latin word “Indicum”, which means violet.
2. Indium is the 61^st most abundant element present in the earth’s crust.
3. The concentration of indium in the earth’s crust is approximately 0.1 ppm.
4. Canada produces around 75 tons of indium annually, which makes it a leading producer in the world.

Properties of indium

Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of indium.

Physical properties of indium

• Indium has a silvery-gray lustrous appearance.
• Indium is a soft metal. It also produces a cracking sound when it is bent.
• There are many isotopes of indium, but the most abundant isotope is ¹¹⁵In.
• The melting point and boiling point of indium is 429.7 K and 2345 K respectively.
• The crystal structure of indium is tetragonal.
• Indium has an atomic mass 114.82 u and its density is 7.31 g/cm³.

Chemical properties of indium

• There are 3 valence electrons of indium and it loses these 3 electrons during a chemical reaction.
• Indium does not react with water.
• The electronegativity of indium is 1.78 on a pauling scale.
• The first ionization energy of indium is 5.786 eV.

Uses of indium

Here are some uses of the indium element.

• Indium has a lower melting point, which is why it is also used in manufacturing of fusible plugs.
• Indium is also used in thermistors, rectifiers, etc.
• Indium tin oxide is commonly used in LCD’s.
• Indium is also used with other metals to form an alloy with improved properties.
• The high speed bearings also use a coating of indium metal.
• Indium is also added to gold metal to provide hardness.

External resources:

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2. Indium | Chemistry. (2012, April 9). Chemistry. https://uwaterloo.ca/chemistry/international-year-chemistry/periodic-table-project/indium
3. Prohaska, T., et al. (2022, May 1). Standard atomic weights of the elements 2021 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 94(5), 573–600. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0603
4. Haynes, W. M. (Ed.). (2014, June 4). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. https://doi.org/10.1201/b17118
5. Kaye, G W.C., & Laby, T H. Tables of physical and chemical constants. 15th Edition. United States.
6. Sansonetti, J. E., & Martin, W. C. (2005, December). Handbook of Basic Atomic Spectroscopic Data. Journal of Physical and Chemical Reference Data, 34(4), 1559–2259. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1800011
7. US GOV, N. O. (n.d.). INDIUM | CAMEO Chemicals | NOAA. INDIUM | CAMEO Chemicals | NOAA. https://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/25034
8. It’s Elemental – The Element Indium. (n.d.). It’s Elemental – the Element Indium. https://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele049.html
9. Indium – Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table. (n.d.). Indium – Element Information, Properties and Uses | Periodic Table. https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/49/indium
10. P. (n.d.). Indium | In (Element) – PubChem. Indium | in (Element) – PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/element/49
11. Bondi, A. (1964, March). van der Waals Volumes and Radii. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 68(3), 441–451. https://doi.org/10.1021/j100785a001
12. Holden, et al. (2018, December 1). IUPAC Periodic Table of the Elements and Isotopes (IPTEI) for the Education Community (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry, 90(12), 1833–2092. https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-0703
13. Zhang, et al. (2011, January 11). Corrected Values for Boiling Points and Enthalpies of Vaporization of Elements in Handbooks. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 56(2), 328–337. https://doi.org/10.1021/je1011086
14. Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. (n.d.). Periodic Table of Elements: Los Alamos National Laboratory. https://periodic.lanl.gov/49.shtml
15. Atomic Weight of Indium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. (n.d.). Atomic Weight of Indium | Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights. https://ciaaw.org/indium.htm
16. Atomic Data for Indium (In). (n.d.). Atomic Data for Indium (In). https://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/Handbook/Tables/indiumtable1.htm