Gallium in a test tube melts from the heat of a hand. Gallium, a rare metallic element that is liquid near room temperature. Gallium is a chemical element that has the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Elemental gallium does not occur in nature, but as the gallium(III) compounds in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores. A soft silvery metallic poor metal, elemental gallium is a brittle solid at low temperatures. Its melting point is used as a temperature reference point.