Aluminium: The Abundant Metal
The metal found in the tomb of a military leader in 3rd century China turned out to be 85% aluminium. It remained a mystery how it was produced. It took all efforts to extract the metal that was found in the aluminium oxide at that time. The first person to extract and produce the metal was Hans Christian Oersted in 1825 in Denmark and did it by heating aluminium chloride with potassium, but it was still not pure. The one who perfected the method was the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler who produced pure aluminium for the first time by using sodium instead of potassium.
Uses and Properties of Aluminium
Today, Aluminum is used in a wide variety of products, such as foils, cans, toys, kitchen utensils, and parts of cars, military vehicles, rockets, aeroplanes, and other items that need a robust and lightweight material. It is also commonly used in home furniture such as frames for your Aluminium Sliding windows and also used in electrical transmission lines because of its light property. It is also a good conductor of heat and electricity.
- Durable
- Lightweight
- Corrosion Resistant
- Ductile
- Non-toxic
Modern construction, aviation, automotive, food and others would be impossible without aluminium. It has low density, non-magnetic, non-sparking, non-toxic, and excellent anti-corrosion properties. Aluminium is one of the lightest metals in the whole world. It is three times lighter than iron yet very strong and durable, making it good for sliding glass doors and windows in homes. Aluminium is everywhere and 100% recyclable, so it is the most economical and affordable than other metals and materials.
Fun Fact
Aluminium is used in NASA’s space flight. It has been used on space shuttles, rockets, the Skylab, the Apollo spacecraft, and the International Space Station
