Actually, you could do this in real-time with a item made of gallium [Ga (31)] a metal in the same family as aluminum.
It is the only metal, except for mercury, caesium, and rubidium, which can be liquid near room temperatures; this makes possible its use in high-temperature thermometers. It has one of the longest liquid ranges of any metal and has a low vapour pressure even at high temperatures.
Ultra-pure gallium has a silvery appearance, and the solid metal exhibits conchoidal fracture similar to glass. The metal expands on solidifying; therefore, it should not be stored in glass or metal containers, as they may break as the metal solidifies.
High-purity gallium is attacked only slowly by mineral acids. Gallium arsenide is capable of converting electricity directly into coherent light and gallium arsenide is a key component of LEDs (light emitting diodes).
Gallium is normally a byproduct of the manufacture of aluminium. The purification of bauxite by the Bayer process results in concentration of gallium in the alkaline solutions from an aluminium:gallum ratio from 5000 to 300. Electrolysis using a mercury electrode gives a further concentration and further electrolysis using a stainless steel cathode of the resulting sodium gallate affords liquid gallium metal.
Very pure gallium requires a number of further processes ending with zone refining to make very pure gallium metal.
Name: gallium
Symbol: Ga
Atomic number: 31
Atomic weight: 69.723 (1)
CAS Registry ID: 7440-55-3
Group number: 13
Group name: (none)
Period number: 4
Block: p-block
Standard state: solid at 298 K (but melts only slightly above this temperature)
Colour: silvery white
Classification: Metallic
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