(L. Gallia, France; also from Latin, gallus, a translation of Lecoq, a cock) Predictedand described by Mendeleev as ekaaluminum, and discovered spectroscopically by Lecoq deBoisbaudran in 1875, who in the same year obtained the free metal by electrolysis of asolution of the hydroxide in KOH.

Gallium is often found as a trace element in diaspore, sphalerite, germanite, bauxite,and coal. Some flue dusts from burning coal have been shown to contain as much 1.5 percentgallium.