Melting point of gallium as a temperature calibration standard

Abstract

Enzyme reaction rates and other biomedical parameters depend critically upon temperature, and require accurate temperature measurement. A variety of thermometers are available, but these require reference to and calibration against a standard. The melting temperatures of pure metals are constants of nature, and during phase transition provide stable temperature environments for thermometer calibration. Pure gallium melts at 29.770 °C (IPTS68) and is shown to be a suitable standard for the calibration of thermometers in the biomedical range.