eli5 – Chemistry – why does Gallium have a huge difference between melting and boiling point ?

Question

why does Gallium has a very high boiling point where it has a very low melting point ?

[**Melting point**](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&sxsrf=ALiCzsYE7LhTlrIioGlUqG9z_964uzYDag:1651865193775&q=gallium+melting+point&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3MDItKjY21dLJTrbST85Izc0sLimqhLCSE3PiU3NSc1PzSqxyU3NKMvPSFQryM_NKFrGKpifm5GSW5iqgiAMAFoSaQ1QAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicy92wzcv3AhW-SvEDHQxAB8IQ6BMoAHoECGoQAg)**:** 29.76 °C

[**Atomic mass**](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&sxsrf=ALiCzsYE7LhTlrIioGlUqG9z_964uzYDag:1651865193775&q=gallium+atomic+mass&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3MDItKjY21dLKTrbST85Izc0sLimqhLCSE3PiU3NSc1PzSqwSS_KBAgq5icXFi1iF0xNzcjJLcxWQRAE_tXKJUAAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicy92wzcv3AhW-SvEDHQxAB8IQ6BMoAHoECG8QAg)**:** 69.723 u

[**Boiling point**](https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&sxsrf=ALiCzsYE7LhTlrIioGlUqG9z_964uzYDag:1651865193775&q=gallium+boiling+point&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAOPgE-LSz9U3MDItKjY21dLJTrbST85Izc0sLimqhLCSE3PiU3NSc1PzSqyS8jNzMvPSFQryM_NKFrGKpifm5GSW5iqgiAMAwNyGP1QAAAA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicy92wzcv3AhW-SvEDHQxAB8IQ6BMoAHoECF8QAg)**:** 2,400 °C

In: 4

Answer 1

Gallium’s boiling point is normal enough for a metal, so it’s the melting point we need to explain.

It turns out that, unlike most other metals, the crystal structure of solid gallium isn’t a symmetrical “web” of atoms where each atom is linked to many others, all sharing electrons in a smooth continuous way. Instead, gallium atoms pair off, forming mostly-isolated pairs that only bond weakly to their neighbors. This is more similar to the behavior of many of the elements on the right side of the periodic table than it is to other metals and, like those elements at the right side of the periodic table, it has a low melting point as a result.