Aluminium also occurs in the minerals beryl, cryolite, garnet, spinel, and turquoise. įeldspars, the most common group of minerals in the Earth's crust, are aluminosilicates. Aluminium also occurs in seawater at a concentration of 2 μg/kg. But, the Earth's mantle is only 2.38% aluminium by mass. A lot of silicates in the Earth's crust contain aluminium. It is also the third most abundant of all elements in the Earth's crust. In the Earth's crust, aluminium is the most abundant metallic element by mass (8.23%). Overall, the Earth is about 1.59% aluminium by mass. The trace quantities of aluminium-26 that do exist are the most common gamma ray emitter in the interstellar gas. Essentially all aluminium now in existence is aluminium-27 aluminium-26 was there in the early Solar System but is now extinct. It is created after fusion of carbon in massive stars that will later become Type II supernovae: this fusion creates magnesium-26, which, when capturing free protons and neutrons becomes aluminium. It is the 18th most abundant nucleus in the Universe. The only stable isotope of aluminium is aluminium-27. It is the 3rd most abundant among the elements that have odd atomic numbers. It is the 12th most abundant of all elements. This is no longer true because, as technology improved, it became cheaper and easier to make pure metal. China produces about 31,873 thousand tonnes of aluminium.Īluminium was once considered a precious metal that was even more valuable than gold. The largest producer of aluminium is China. The aluminium oxide is electrolyzed to make aluminium and oxygen. Cryolite is normally produced artificially though. Then the aluminium oxide is dissolved in liquid cryolite, a rare mineral. The bauxite is crushed and reacted with sodium hydroxide. Pure aluminium is made from bauxite, a kind of rock that has aluminium oxide and many impurities. Uses include fireworks displays and rocket fuel. Because of this thin layer, the reactivity of aluminium is not seen. This layer protects the metal by preventing oxygen from reaching it. It is a highly reactive metal, although it is corrosion resistant.Ī fresh film of aluminium is a good reflector of visible light and an excellent reflector of medium and far infrared radiation.Īluminium prevents corrosion by forming a small, thin layer of aluminium oxide on its surface. It can be hammered into sheets ( malleable) or pulled out into wires ( ductile). For many years thereafter, Wöhler was credited as the person who discovered aluminium.Īluminium is a very good conductor of electricity and heat. In 1845, he was able to produce small pieces of the metal and described some physical properties of this metal. (The reason for this inconsistency was only discovered in 1921.) He conducted a similar experiment in the same year by mixing anhydrous aluminium chloride with potassium and produced a powder of aluminium. In 1827, German chemist Friedrich Wöhler repeated Ørsted's experiments but did not identify any aluminium. He presented his results and showed a sample of the new metal in 1825. He reacted anhydrous aluminium chloride with potassium amalgam, yielding a lump of metal looking similar to tin. The first successful attempt, finished in 1824 by Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Ørsted. People have tried to produce aluminium since 1760. The symbol for aluminium is Al, and its atomic number is 13. Aluminium (in American and Canadian English also: aluminum) is a chemical element.
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