Aluminum: The Element

Elements have made life easier and comfortable for man. Aluminum, a chemical element by its own properties, helped in the evolution of mankind. Let's learn more about it. Since ages, aluminum has been one of the most widely used metals in the world. Available in abundance in the nature, it is today an integral part of the industrial life.

History
The ancient Greeks, Romans and Chinese used aluminum bearing clay to make pottery. They might have been unaware that aluminum gave their creations some special properties. Even Napoleon owned a set of aluminum cutlery, to serve his honored guests.

In 1761, De Morveau suggested the name "alumine" for the base in alum. Later, in 1808, Sir Humphry Davy established the existence of aluminum and gave it a popular name. In 1825, a Danish physicist and chemist, Henry Christian Oersted, generated minute quantities of aluminum. He chemically reacted dilute potassium amalgam with anhydrous aluminum chloride. The mercury residue was distilled, to give pure aluminum.

In 1827, Freidrich Wohler, obtained aluminum by a different process and later in 1854, a French scientist improved Wohler's way of producing aluminum. This started the first commercial production of aluminum. The metal became more precious than gold or platinum and was displayed in exhibitions at Paris. Since then, aluminum has been used in almost all industries and is an important commercial element. In 1886, two young scientists, Charles Heroult and Martin Hall, obtained aluminum using aluminum oxide (alumina). This method forms the basis of all aluminum production today. With further growth and expansion, new companies producing aluminum were formed. The 20th century was known as the 'aluminum century'.

Characteristics
Aluminum is a lightweight, ductile and malleable metal. In appearance, it looks silver-white. Its atomic number is 13 and it is represented by the symbol Al. It is a p-block element, placed in the 3rd period and 13th group of the periodic table. In the Earth's crust it is the 3rd most abundant element after oxygen and silicon. The most abundant metallic element, aluminum, is a very good thermal and electrical conductor; in fact, better than copper. It can also be transformed into a super conductor, with suitable temperature and pressure conditions.

One of the peculiar features of aluminum in the paint industries, is that it has an excellent silvery reflectance in finely powdered form, so it's the best choice for silver paints. Aluminum is a highly reactive element and forms a strong chemical bond with oxygen. Still, corrosion resistance is good because it forms a very thin layer of aluminum oxide when it reacts with air. This prevents the metal from corroding. Atomic arrangement in aluminum is in the form of a face-centered cubic structure. It is non-magnetic in nature.

Uses
Aluminum is widely used in aircraft and shipping industries because it is light weight, with a specific gravity of 2.70. Besides these industries, it is also used in trucks, railways, automobiles and bicycles. It is also used in cans of beers, soft drink cans, cooking utensils and metal foils. Heat sinks, that provide heat insulation to CPU's and transistors, are made of aluminum. Electrical transmission lines also use aluminum for power distribution. In the blades of swords, knives and other weapons, aluminum is used.

Many aluminum compounds are very widely used. Aluminum ammonium sulfate is used in water purification, food industry and paper production. Aluminum borohydride is used as a jet fuel. Aluminum fluorosilicate is used in production of synthetic gemstones, ceramics and glasses. Aluminum sulfate is used as an fire extinguisher. Many other compounds are also used as antacids, in cements, in cosmetics and varnishes. Duralumin and bauxite are two very widely used alloys of aluminum.

Hazardous effects on health
Despite its amazing natural abundance, aluminum plays no role in the living cells. Instead, if consumed, in can be be risky. Though kitchen wares are made of aluminum, only direct consumption affects our bodies. The antacids of the element can lead to vomiting and allergies. It has been found to affect the bones and the central nervous system. High intake of dietary aluminum, can lead to reduced skeletal mineralization - osteopenia, which is observed in pre-term infants and infants with growth retardation. High intake can lead to neurotoxicity.

With awareness we can keep an eye on any aluminum related problems and also take maximum benefit of this God-gifted natural resource, in the best possible way.