What is aluminium?
Aluminium in the periodic table
Aluminium is a soft, silvery-white, ductile, nonmagnetic metal of group 13 in the periodic table. It is a member of the boron group with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Soft metal aluminium is used widely in various products such as cans, foils, kitchen utensils, window frames, beer kegs, and aeroplane parts.
It is a post-transition metal that lies between boron and germanium. Aluminium is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust that has good corrosion resistivity.
Properties
The silvery-white, lightweight metal aluminium has a low density and non-toxic properties. It has high thermal conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance properties. It is the second most malleable and the sixth most ductile metallic element.
- Atomic number: 13
- Relative atomic mass: 26.982
- State at 20°C: Solid
- Melting point: 660.323 °C
- Boiling point: 2519°C
- Density (g/cm3): 2.70
- CAS number: 7429–90–5
- Chem Spider ID: 4514248
It dissolves in hydrochloric acid by producing aluminum chloride and colorless hydrogen gas. The reaction is irreversible in nature.
Aluminum reacts with sodium hydroxide to form sodium aluminate and hydrogen gas is evolved. It rapidly develops a thin layer of aluminum oxide to prevent the metal from reacting with water.
Facts of aluminium
- It is the 3rd most abundant element present in the Earth’s crust.
- The density of aluminium is lower than those of other common metals. It is approximately one-third that of steel.
- It is a post-transition metal that is presented in the boron group of the periodic table.
- Aluminum is the most widely used metal after iron and is found widely in ore bauxite.
- Pure aluminum was more expensive to produce than gold until the discovery of the Hall-Heroult process.
- Guinea, Australia, and Vietnam are the top three countries where aluminum ore is mined. Australia, China, and Brazil are the leading producer of aluminum in the world.
- Huge energy is used for the separation of alumium from its ore but recycling aluminum requires only 5% of that energy to produce the same amount of metal.
- It is used in fireworks to produce sparks and white flames.
- It has no known function in humans and other animals.
- Aluminium was discovered in 1825 by Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted but the first industrial production was developed by French chemist Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville in 1856.
Uses of aluminium
- It is used in castings of transportation of railway, trucks, and automobiles.
- Aluminium is used for making various household products such as cans, foils, kitchen utensils, window frames, and beer kegs.
- It is a useful packaging material because it has low density, non-toxic, and corrosion resistance properties.
- It alloys with copper, manganese, magnesium, and silicon because aluminium itself is not particularly strong.
- Aluminium alloys are very important in the construction of aeroplanes because they are lightweight but strong.
- Al(II) compounds are used as an oxidant in various chemical reactions.
- Aluminium is a good electrical conductor of electricity and is used in electrical transmission lines.
References
https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/13/aluminium
https://www.priyamstudycentre.com/2020/12/aluminum.html
