Aluminum alum as a bright red dey,
Aluminum Aluminum, one of the most useful metals with many uses from packaging to aircraft. This element is the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust after oxygen and silicon. It came from being one of the most luxurious and expensive metals, to one of the most commonly used. With less than 150 years in usage it has already almost overtaken iron. Aluminum composes about 8.
2% of the earth’s crust, and has existed for centuries. A source from chemheritage.org, by: Tom Geller states ” alum (one of its salts) was best known as a dye fixer, first developed in egypt over 5,000 years ago.” Egyptians weren’t the only ones to find use in alum. Ancient Greeks and romans have also used alum as a bright red dey, dating back to 100 BC.
Europe’s most richest would wear expensive jewelry crafted from aluminum. In the mid 1800s it was more than gold. But if aluminum composes 8.2% of the earth’s crust, why was it so rare and valuable? The complication was that aluminum is mostly found bound tightly to other elements. Simply said, it is impossible to find aluminum its its purest form. In 1807 a english chemist Sir Humphry had proposed the idea that alum was a salt of a unknown metal. He even tried producing it but unfortunately didn’t succeed.
It wasn’t until 1825 when a physicist H.C Oersted who was produced the first pieces of aluminum. In 1827 Friedrich Wohler was the first to isolate the element. Aluminum has a total of 13 electrons and protons as seen on the periodic table. The Electron configuration of Aluminum is 1s22s22p63s23p1 shorter way to write this is Ne 3s2 3p1. Aluminum is shiny silvery-white with a bluish tint in color.
Is 3rd weight as iron and almost as strong and stable.The pure metal is soft, but once alloyed it becomes strong and hard. The melting point is 660.32°C, 1220.58°F, and a boiling point of 2519°C, 4566. The elements density is 2.
70 grams per cm cubed. Aluminum can be beaten to thin sheets and is capable of being shaped or bent.As soon as aluminum comes in contact with moist air, it combines with oxygen and forms aluminum oxide.
The skin that covers the metal and helps prevent decay and rust. When alum is in its powder form it can catch fire easily. The metal reacts quickly with hot water and hot acids.
And is also a non-metallic metal. Aluminum is in a family of elements called “boron family”. These metals are the elements in group 13 on the periodic table.This includes Boron, Aluminium, Gallium, Indium, and Thallium. The most ovise similarity between these elements is the fact that there almost all metals, except boron.
The atoms is this family have 3 valence electrons. Almost all of them are great conductors of heat and electricity. Only just 100 years ago, only a few people would of recognized the word alum. Now aluminum has almost over taken iron. The metal is a favorite in construction due to aluminum’s resistance to corrosion and its cheap cost.
Aluminum can also be used in electrical purposes. Aluminum is a great conductor of heat. Although it’s not as good copper. Aluminums low density makes it the best option for long distance power lines. This element is also used in transportation, consumer goods such as iphones and other modern technology. Aluminum is not just a working material.
It can be found in many products such as toothpaste,deodorants and many makeup products. It’s a favorite packaging material, Cans, foil is a perfect example. This unique metal has many uses. These are just the most common. This element is mostly found in the earth’s compounds and minerals. Some examples include rhyolite, feldspar and turquoise. We will never going to run out of aluminum.
The problem is that you don’t find aluminum in nature as a metal.The most available source of aluminum is bauxite. It’s always tightly bound to oxygen malacues.
To get pure aluminum, you’re gonna have to break the aluminum oxygen bounds. Which can be super complicated and require lots of energy. Aluminum has a really unique story.
