02-08-2018, 07:59 AM
Gallium doesn't "melt" aluminum, it amalgamates it much as mercury amalgamates with gold or silver. Aluminum is a soft metal and mercury readily amalgamates with it and as gallium is also a liquid metal it undoubtedly penetrates the crystal structure dissolving the aluminum, too. Gallium has the unusual property, unlike mercury, of being able to penetrate the oxide film on aluminum and so attacks it much more readily. The result is an alloy of gallium and aluminum. There are several videos on YouTube demonstrating this action