Some of the elements that make our phones and tablets work are running out!
Lots of important elements are due to run out in 100 years which could mean that we can’t make anymore phones.
Listen to the episode above to hear all about Indium, what it is and what important job it does in your phone.
What is Indium?
It’s has the chemical symbol In on the periodic table.
It’s called Indium because under certain conditions it emits an indigo light.
What can Indium do?
It’s a metal that’s really soft and can break quite easily. That might make it sound pretty useless but it actually makes it useful for a lot of jobs.
Indium has a strange quality – when you bend it it makes a strange noise called a ‘Tin Scream”. It actually sounds more like something cracking then a scream.
The most popular use of Indium is to help electronic gadgets emit light. It’s used in gadgets like mobile phones so that you can see what’s on the screen.
How did it get discovered?
It was discovered in 1863 by two German chemists called Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter.
Why is it an element in danger?
Because Indium is very difficult to extract.
It is always smushed together with other elements so getting it on it’s own is very difficult.
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