Aluminum is so widely used in todays modern society that it is almost impossible to imagine a world without it.

The amazing, unique qualities of this fundamental metal give it a huge array of possible applications, from transport, packaging, electrical application, medicine, and construction of homes and furniture. Since aluminium is extraordinarily strong, it is fundamental to both the automobile and the air travel industries. In fact, without this metal, there would not be any commercial air travel at all. The Wrights brother first airplane to fly in 1903 only was able to get off the ground because they modified its engine with aluminum in order to reduce its weight. Without the ability of the strong aluminium alloys to withstand the huge pressures and stresses involved, high altitude flying would not be conceivable. In fact, aluminum comprises about 80 percent of an aircrafts unladen weight. Even more amazing, the space shuttles created by NASA are a whole 90% aluminum. The strength and lightness of aluminum, combined with its ability to absorb kinetic energy, is also what makes it so attractive for the creation of cars, trucks and trains. It has been calculated that during the life of a single vehicle, there will be a saving of 6 to 12 times the energy it took to produce the primary aluminum metal used to construct the car. Ever ton of aluminium that is used in place of a ton of heavier materials will save 20 ton of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the vehicle. Many of the attributes that make aluminum so good for the transport industry also make it the perfect metal for outdoor home construction and aluminum patio furniture. It is a well-known fact that aluminum does not rust. This is due to the fact that once exposed to outdoor air, the surface of aluminum will quickly develop a thin, microscopic layer of oxide over its top, which will rend the metal almost completely resistant to corrosion. Not only does this make the metal an appealing choice in any sort of decorative item, it also means that the metal will not disintegrate when exposed to problematic weather conditions. Thus, the material is perfect for the manufacturing of any object that must remain outdoors for longer periods of time, such as outdoor fixtures and furniture. It will retain, for the most part, its original appearance, along with its structural integrity without much maintenance. With all its amazing qualities, it is no wonder that in such a short period of time, aluminum as become the cornerstone metal of todays modern society!
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Periodic Table of the Elements Aluminum or Aluminium Atomic Number: 13 Symbol: Al Atomic Weight: 26.981539 Discovery: Hans Christian Oersted (1825, Denmark), Wohler (1827) Electron Configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p1 Word Origin: Latin alumen: alum, an astringent and dyeing mordant Note on Naming: Sir Humphry Davy proposed the name aluminum for the metal, however, the name aluminium was adopted to conform with the "ium" ending of most elements. This spelling is in use in most countries. Aluminium was also the spelling in the U.S. until 1925, when the American Chemical Society officially decided to use the name aluminum instead. Properties: Aluminum has a melting point of 660.37C, boiling point of 2467C, specific gravity of 2.6989 (20C), and valence of 3. Pure aluminum is a silvery-white metal. It is soft, light, relatively nontoxic, with a high thermal conductivity, and high corrosion resistance. It can be easily formed, machined, or cast. Aluminum is nonmagnetic and nonsparking. It is second among metals in terms of malleability and sixth in ductility. Aluminum coatings are highly reflective of both visible and radiant heat. The coatings form a thin layer of protective oxide and do not deteriorate like silver coatings. Uses: Ancient Greeks and Romans used alum as an astringent, for medicinal purposes, and as a mordant in dyeing. It is used in kitchen utensils, exterior decorations, and thousands of industrial applications. Although the electrical conductivity of aluminum is only about 60% that of copper per area of cross section, aluminum is used in electrical transmission lines because of its light weight. The alloys of aluminum are used in the construction of aircraft and rockets. Reflective aluminum coatings are used for telescope mirrors, making decorative paper, packaging, and many other uses. Alumina is used in glassmaking and refractories. Synthetic ruby and sapphire have applications in producing coherent light for lasers. Sources: Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust (8.1%), although it is not found free in nature. In 1886, Hall in the United States and Heroult in France discovered how to

obtain aluminum metal from electrolysis of alumina dissolved in cryolite. Cryolite is an aluminum ore, although it is has been replaced for commercial aluminum purification by an artificial mixture of sodium, aluminum, and calcium fluorides. The Bayer process is commonly used to refine the impure hydrated oxide ore, bauxite, for use in the Hall-Heroult refining process. Aluminum also can be produced from clay, although this is not the most economically feasible method at present. In addition to cryolite and bauxite, aluminum is found in feldspars, granite, and many other common minerals. The oxide, alumina, occurs naturally as ruby, sapphire, emery, and corundum. Element Classification: Metal Density (g/cc): 2.6989 Appearance: soft, lightweight, silvery-white metal Atomic Radius (pm): 143 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 10.0 Covalent Radius (pm): 118 Ionic Radius: 51 (+3e) Specific Heat (@20C J/g mol): 0.900 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 10.75 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 284.1 Debye Temperature (K): 394.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.61 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 577.2 Oxidation States: 3 Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant (): 4.050 Although aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust, it is never found free in nature. All of the earth's aluminum has combined with other elements to form compounds. Two of the most common compounds are alum, such as potassium aluminum sulfate (KAl(SO4)212H2O), and aluminum oxide (Al2O3). About 8.2% of the earth's crust is composed of aluminum.

Scientists suspected than an unknown metal existed in alum as early as 1787, but they did not have a way to extract it until 1825. Hans Christian Oersted, a Danish chemist, was the first to produce tiny amounts of aluminum. Two years later, Friedrich Whler, a German chemist, developed a different way to obtain aluminum. By 1845, he was able to produce samples large enough to determine some of aluminum's basic properties. Whler's method was improved in 1854 by Henri tienne Sainte-Claire Deville, a French chemist. Deville's process allowed for the commercial production of aluminum. As a result, the price of aluminum dropped from around $1200 per kilogram in 1852 to around $40 per kilogram in 1859. Unfortunately, aluminum remained too expensive to be widely used. Two important developments in the 1880s greatly increased the availability of aluminum. The first was the invention of a new process for obtaining aluminum from aluminum oxide. Charles Martin Hall, an American chemist, and Paul L. T. Hroult, a French chemist, each invented this process independently in 1886. The second was the invention of a new process that could cheaply obtain aluminum oxide from bauxite. Bauxite is an ore that contains a large amount of aluminum hydroxide (Al2O33H2O), along with other compounds. Karl Joseph Bayer, an Austrian chemist, developed this process in 1888. The Hall-Hroult and Bayer processes are still used today to produce nearly all of the world's aluminum. With an easy way to extract aluminum from aluminum oxide and an easy way to extract large amounts of aluminum oxide from bauxite, the era of inexpensive aluminum had begun. In 1888, Hall formed the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which is now known as the Aluminum Company of America, or Alcoa. When it opened, his company could produce about 25 kilograms of aluminum a day. By 1909, his company was producing about 41,000 kilograms of aluminum a day. As a result of this huge increase of supply, the price of aluminum fell rapidly to about $0.60 per kilogram. Today, aluminum and aluminum alloys are used in a wide variety of products: cans, foils and kitchen utensils, as well as parts of airplanes, rockets and other items that require a strong, light material. Although it doesn't conduct electricity as well as copper, it is used in electrical transmission lines because of its light weight. It can be deposited on the surface of glass to make mirrors, where a thin layer of aluminum oxide quickly forms that acts as a protective coating. Aluminum oxide is also used to make synthetic rubies and sapphires for lasers. Estimated Crustal Abundance: 8.23104 milligrams per kilogram Estimated Oceanic Abundance: 210-3 milligrams per liter Number of Stable Isotopes: 1 (View all isotope data) Ionization Energy: 5.986 eV Oxidation State: +3