Gallium(I) oxide

Gallium oxide, digallium monoxide or gallium suboxide is an inorganic compound with the formula Ga₂ O.

Production

Gallium oxide can be produced by reacting gallium(III) oxide with heated gallium in vacuum:
It can also be obtained by reacting gallium with carbon dioxide in vacuum at 850 °C.
Gallium oxide is a by-product in the production of gallium arsenide wafers:

Properties

Gallium oxide is a brown-black diamagnetic solid which is resistant to further oxidation in dry air. It starts decomposing upon heating at temperatures above 500 °C, and the decomposition rate depends on the atmosphere.