Chemical element · Atomic number 49

Indium

Indium in the periodic table: atomic number 49, electron configuration, atomic mass, physical data, oxidation states, media credit and visible sources.

In

Post-transition metal

solid

114.818 u

Silvery shiny indium block weighing ten gramsDocumented element sample

A block of pure indium weighing ten grams.

Image credit: François Nguyen

Auto-oriented, limited to 1600 × 1200 pixels and re-encoded as WebP; the subject was not altered.

Commons fileLicence: CC BY 2.0

Atomic classification

Indium in the Bohr shell modelThis shows the electron distribution of the neutral atom in a simplified shell model.: 2 · 8 · 18 · 18 · 3

Shell occupancy

Indium in the Bohr shell model

This shows the electron distribution of the neutral atom in a simplified shell model.

K · n=1
2 electrons
L · n=2
8 electrons
M · n=3
18 electrons
N · n=4
18 electrons
O · n=5
3 electrons
Shell occupancy is derived from the versioned PubChem electron configuration. Dot angles are schematic and do not represent orbitals.
Electron configuration
[Kr]5s2 4d10 5p1
Electrons per shell
2 · 8 · 18 · 18 · 3
Group
13
Period
5
Block
P
Element category
Post-transition metal

Physical and chemical properties

Atomic mass
114.818 u
Standard state
solid
Density
7.31 g/cm³
Melting point
429.75 K
Boiling point
2,345 K
Electronegativity
1.78 (Pauling)
First ionisation energy
5.786 eV
Oxidation states
+3
Discovery
1863

Safety and periodic classification

Safety

Safe handling cannot be inferred from Indium's position in the periodic table alone. Laboratory, classroom and disposal decisions must follow the documentation for the exact material and its safety data sheet.

Position and comparison

Indium is in period 5, group 13 and the P block. Its direct neighbours by atomic number are Cadmium and Tin. The recorded Pauling electronegativity is 1.78. Periodic trends are compared only through the separately sourced neighbouring values.

Sources and scope

PubChem attributes element data to sources including IUPAC, NIST and IAEA. Quanta stores the referenced snapshot locally and leaves unknown values unavailable.

Where Indium sits among the 118 elements

The table compares the reported values for Indium with every other element that carries the same value in the snapshot. A rank is not a judgement, it is orientation: it says how unusual this value is across the periodic table.

ValueIndiumPosition in the data set
Melting point429.75 KRank 81 of 103 elements with a reported value. Highest: Carbon.
Boiling point2,345 KRank 51 of 93 elements with a reported value. Highest: Rhenium.
Density7.31 g/cm³Rank 43 of 96 elements with a reported value. Highest: Osmium.
Electronegativity (Pauling)1.78Rank 43 of 95 elements with a reported value. Highest: Fluorine.
Ionisation energy5.786 eVRank 84 of 102 elements with a reported value. Highest: Helium.

All values and ranks come from the PubChem Periodic Table snapshot, retrieved on 2026-07-15. Elements without a reported value are excluded, so the population differs per row.

The neighbours of Indium in the periodic table

Place in the table
Group 13, period 5, P block. Classified as post-transition metal, solid at standard conditions.
Direct neighbours
Atomic number 49. Preceded by Cadmium, followed by Tin.
Same group
Same number of outer electrons, and therefore similar reactivity to Boron, Aluminum, Gallium, Thallium, Nihonium.
Discovery
Recorded in the snapshot as: 1863. Who, where and under what circumstances is not part of that record, so this page carries the sourced year and no discovery narrative.
Oxidation states
+3. They follow from the electron configuration [Kr]5s2 4d10 5p1 and indicate which compounds to expect.

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