I remember once when I was 14 or so, I was reading the periodic table and I came across the description for Gallium. It's a metal that is solid and brittle at room temperature (if you strike it, it shatters like glass), but it melts at 86°F, so if you hold it in your hands for a few minutes it will melt. Unlike mercury, gallium is not toxic. It also easily becomes supercooled, meaning that if you bring it down below 86°F, it will remain liquid until it is "seeded" — when you drop in a tiny chunk of solid gallium, the liquid will suddenly solidify. I thought that was amazing, and I've wanted a chunk of gallium ever since.

A few days ago I was reading over the periodic table again (plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose), and I was reminded about how cool gallium is. But this time, I have an income. I hesitated for a day or so, thinking how stupid it is to buy a chunk of metal just because I want to play with it. But then I realized that the total awesomeness of melting metal in your hands totally outweighs any feelings of frivolousness. And what is life for, if not to play with fun chemicals?

So now I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of my sample of gallium. The chemical samples company emailed me a helpful warning:

CAUTION: GALLIUM METAL

Thank you for purchasing this piece of Gallium. Please note that Gallium melts very easily and can pose a hazard if not handled carefully. The liquid metal will permanently stain and corrode many metals including jewelry. Also spillage of the liquid metal is very difficult to clean up and could possibly cause a short circuit with electrical appliances. If you choose to melt the metal it is wise to have a small container nearby to pour the metal into. The container should not be of glass or metal, since Gallium will stick to most materials. Plastic containers are suitable.

The gallium piece will be packaged with a cold-pack to help prevent the piece from melting during shipping and is double-bagged for additional safety.

Thank you again for the purchase and I hope you are satisfied with this piece.

What a freaky-ass metal.