Why did my uncle have gallium vials?

hughtrimble

hughtrimble

hughtrimble

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It's just gallium though, nothing really iffy or questionable about it, hence why you can buy it on Amazon for example.

But don't let that stop you from fashioning a tall tale to tell to any future descendants!
 

Rannoch

Rannoch

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It may be normal for some people to keep over half a kilo of gallium hidden at the back of a bottom drawer in the garage but in this case it’s very unusual.
 

dirtychinchilla

dirtychinchilla

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"Gallium is a soft, silvery metal used primarily in electronic circuits, semiconductors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). It is also useful in high-temperature thermometers, barometers, pharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine tests. The element has no known biological value."

It's got no known biological value, so it sounds like it's not a poison.

I did find this, though:

"Although it is not harmful in small amounts, gallium should not be purposefully consumed in large doses. Some gallium compounds can actually be very dangerous, however. For example, acute exposure to gallium(III) chloride can cause throat irritation, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and its fumes can cause even very serious conditions such as pulmonary edema and partial paralysis.

Read more: https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/ga.htm#ixzz5ftq1q2xL"
 

Rannoch

Rannoch

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dirtychinchilla said:
"Gallium is a soft, silvery metal used primarily in electronic circuits, semiconductors and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). It is also useful in high-temperature thermometers, barometers, pharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine tests. The element has no known biological value."

It's got no known biological value, so it sounds like it's not a poison.

I did find this, though:

"Although it is not harmful in small amounts, gallium should not be purposefully consumed in large doses. Some gallium compounds can actually be very dangerous, however. For example, acute exposure to gallium(III) chloride can cause throat irritation, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and its fumes can cause even very serious conditions such as pulmonary edema and partial paralysis.

Read more: https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/ga.htm#ixzz5ftq1q2xL"
Click to expand...

Interesting. I may pop over to see if there’s any other chemicals in the garage.
 

Rroff

Rroff

Rroff

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It could be as simple as someone he was friends with/other family gave them to him for safe keeping or passed away and they ended up in his possession, etc. and didn't know what to do with them.
 
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