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What is the softest metal?
Question Date: 2013-10-30
Answer 1:

Metals are typically solids. Solid metals can range from very hard and tough to bend, like Titanium, to very soft and easy to bend, like gold.

Gold is one of the softest solid metals, which is why gold is often mixed with other metals when gold is used in jewelry. For example, you may have heard of 18 Carat gold rings, which are rings that are made mostly of gold (75% gold) but have a small amount of silver mixed into the gold (25%) to make the ring tougher.

You may also be interested to know that two different metals actually exist as liquids at room temperature: mercury and gallium. Since they are room temperature liquids, I think that they would qualify as the softest metals! Check out the YouTube video below to see how some researchers are using liquid metals to "print" 3-D structures that may be used in many high-tech applications, such as strechable wires.

3D printing metals

Thanks for your interesting question, and please feel free to send more our way!


Answer 2:

Cesium is considered the softest metal, Lead is also considered among the softest metals.


Answer 3:

Mercury is liquid (molten) at room temperature. Gallium, while solid (if soft) at room temperature, is liquid at body temperature.


Answer 4:

The softest metal is Cesium, which is so soft it can be cut with a butter knife!



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