Aluminum – Properties, Compounds and Uses

Aluminum(Al) Element information and its uses 

What is aluminium?

Aluminum(Al) is a fairly plentiful element on Earth, accounting for around 8.1 percent of the mass of the Earth’s crust. After oxygen (46.6% abundance) and silicon, it is the third most plentiful element on the planet’s surface (27.7% abundance.) Human civilisation has utilised aluminium goods for over 5000 years, and the Mesopotamian culture employed aluminum-rich clay to make pottery. Humphry Davy, a British chemist, recognised aluminium as a distinct element and coined it in 1809. Pure aluminium was first extracted in 1825 by a Danish physicist named Hans Christian Orsted.

Aluminum is a reactive element that is rarely encountered in nature in its pure form. Instead, aluminium gets found in nature as an alloy, a combination of metals. It generally gets spotted in the form of compounds or mineral ores like bauxite. The upcoming sections will discuss the element’s other essential attributes and applications.

Aluminum(Al) Properties

Aluminium has an atomic number of 13 and an atomic mass of 26.98, making it the chemical element with the most protons per atom on the periodic table. Aluminium has a valency of 3. Hence its most frequent oxidation state is 3+ (though it may also exist in 1+ and 2+). Aluminium is a metal that may be found in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Pure aluminium has a one-of-a-kind combination of physical and chemical characteristics due to its unique atomic combination.

Note: Aluminum(Al) is element with symbol Al and atomic number 13.

The following table highlights some of aluminum’s most important properties:

Aluminium and health | Health effects

Aluminum is a commonly utilised metal that is also one of the most common substances found in the earth’s crust. Aluminum widely gets regarded as a harmless substance, but large amounts might create health concerns if aluminium gets inhaled. The negative effects get caused by the water-soluble form of aluminium. Aluminium ions most commonly get seen in a solution of aluminium with other ions, such as aluminium chlorine.

Food, breathing, and skin contact are ways that aluminium may be absorbed. Long-term exposure to high levels of aluminium can cause major health problems, including:

• Loss of memory
• Listlessness
• Severe trembling
• Damage to the central nervous system
• Dementia

Aluminum is a health hazard particularly in industrial areas, such as mines, where it can be present in the water. People who work in industries where aluminium gets used in the manufacturing process may develop lung difficulties if they inhale aluminium dust. When aluminium enters the body during renal dialysis, it might cause complications for kidney patients.

Finely split aluminium and aluminium oxide powder inhalation has been linked to pulmonary fibrosis and lung damage. This impact, known as Shaver’s Disease, is compounded by the presence of silica and iron oxides in the breathed air, and it may get linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Environmental effects | Environmental effects of aluminium

Aluminium’s impacts have piqued our interest, owing to its acidifying properties. Aluminium may build up in plants, causing health concerns in animals who ingest them. Aluminium concentrations seem to be higher in acidified lakes. The quantity of fish and amphibians in such lakes decreases due to aluminium ions reacting with proteins in fish gills and frog embryos.

High aluminium concentrations harm not just fish but also birds and other species who eat polluted fish and insects and animals who inhale metal through the air. Consumption of contaminated seafood by birds results in eggshell thinning and low birth weight chicks, to name a few consequences. Animals exposed to aluminium in the air may develop lung problems, lose weight, and become less active. Another negative impact of aluminium on the environment is that its ions can react with phosphates, limiting the amount of phosphate available to aquatic animals.

Aluminium may get found in large concentrations in acidified soil groundwater also. When aluminium gets detected in groundwater, there are strong indications that it might injure tree roots.

History | History of Aluminium

A unique metal adornment discovered in the tomb of Chou-Chu, a military leader in 3rd century China, was confirmed to contain 85 percent aluminium after investigation. It’s still a mystery how it got made. By the end of the 1700s, it got recognised that aluminium oxide included a metal, but all attempts to extract it failed. Humphry Davy extracted sodium and potassium from their ‘earths’ (oxides) using electric current, but his approach did not liberate aluminium in the same way. Hans Christian Oersted of Copenhagen, Denmark, was the first to make it in 1825, and he did it by heating aluminium chloride with potassium. Despite this, his sample got contaminated. Friedrich Wöhler, a German scientist, perfected the process in 1827, obtaining pure aluminium for the first time by substituting sodium for potassium.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What are the properties of pure Aluminum?

The following are some of the most important features of pure aluminium:

• Boiling point: 2467 Celsius
• Conductivity: Good conductor (heat and electricity)
• Melting point: 660.4 Celsius
• Density: 2.7 grams per cubic cm

Note: The melting point of pure Aluminum is 660.4 Celsius

What are five uses of Aluminum?

Aluminum has five key applications:

• Packaging of food
• Manufacturing of electronic appliances
• Construction of structures
• Production of aircraft and automobiles
• Production of windows and doors

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