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What is Aluminium?
Physical
properties of Aluminium
Aluminium is a tin-white metal which melts at 640° and is very
light, having a density of 2.68. It is stiff and strong, and
with frequent annealing can be rolled into thin foil. It is a
good conductor of heat and electricity, though not so good as
Copper
for a given cross section of wire. It is a tin-white metal
which melts at 640° and is very light, having a density of 2.68.
It is stiff and strong, and with frequent annealing can be
rolled into thin foil. It is a good conductor of heat and
electricity, though not so good as copper for a given cross
section of wire. For additional facts and information refer to
Aluminum Properties.
Nearly 75% of all the elements in the Periodic Table are
classified as metals which are detailed in the
List of Metals.
What is Aluminium? Origin / Meaning of the name Aluminium
The name 'Aluminum' was
coined by English chemist Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829), from the
Latin words 'alumen' or 'alum' which literally means bitter
salt, because it was recognised as a whitish mineral salt. Davy
originally called it alumium (1812), but his publishers amended
this to aluminum, which remains the U.S. word. British editors
amended the name again to aluminium which is the modern
preferred British form, to better harmonize with other element
names like sodium, potassium, etc.
What is Aluminium? Periodic Table Group and Classification of the Aluminium Element
Elements can be classified based on their physical states (States
of Matter) e.g. gas, solid or liquid. This element is a solid. Aluminium
classified
in the 'Other Metals' section which can be located in
groups 13, 14, and 15 of the Periodic Table. All of these elements
are solid, have a relatively high density and are opaque.
Facts about the Discovery and
History of the Aluminium
Element
Aluminium was used by the
Ancient Greeks and Romans, which can be dated back to the 100BC.
Alum, as it was called by the ancients was used as a bright red
dye and also as an astringent to help in the healing of cuts and
wounds. Sir Humphry Davy (1778-1829) experimented with alumina,
the basis of clay, and attempted the extraction of this metal,
but failed. He published his findings in 1812 in his book,
Elements of Chemical Philosophy, in which he coined the name 'Aluminum'.
It was identified
via a reduction of aluminium chloride by the Danish chemist, Hans Christian Oersted
(1777-1851)
in 1825. It was successfully isolated by Friedrich Wohler in 1827,
using similar techniques as those used by Sir Humphry Davy, by
means of electrolysis and heating a mixture of aluminum chloride
and potassium metal. Charles Martin Hall
received a patent for it in 1886.
Hans Christian Oersted (1777 -
1851)
What is Aluminium? Occurrence of the Aluminium Element
Occurrence of Aluminium. Aluminium never occurs in the free
state in nature, owing to its great affinity for
Oxygen. In
combined form, as oxides, silicates, and a few other salts, it
is both abundant and widely distributed, being an essential constituent of all soils and of most rocks excepting
limestone and sandstone. Cryolite (Na3AlF6), found in Greenland,
and bauxite, which is an aluminium hydroxide usually mixed with
some iron hydroxide, are important minerals. It is estimated
that aluminium composes about 8% of the earth's crust. In the
industries the metal is called Aluminium, but its chemical name
is aluminium.
8.1% in Earth's crust bound up in the form of compounds
- see Examples of Compounds.
One of the planet's most common but most difficult metal to get
Obtained from its ore bauxite
Abundances of the element in different environments
% in Universe 0.005%
% in Sun 0.006%
% in Meteorites 0.91%
% in Earth's Crust 8.1%
% in Oceans 5×10-7%
% in Humans 0.00009%
Associated Uses of Aluminium
Saucepans, cooking pans and pots
Cutlery
Soda cans
Automobile parts
Production of Boats and Ships
Statues including Eros in Piccadilly Circus in London. The statue
was the first in the world to be cast in aluminium and is set on
a bronze fountain
Paint Tubes
Components in Airplanes
Abrasive as an oxide
Aluminium recycling |
