Aluminum Element Origin and Use

Element Origin and Use
Everything we know about life comprises of basic chemical elements – from the chairs we seat on and the beads we sleep on, to the clothes we wear and the medicines we take, and more. While some chemical elements are rare, others occur in abundance. For this discussion, I will concern myself with Aluminum, one of the elements listed in the Periodic Table of Elements. Assigned atomic number 13, aluminum is denoted using symbol Al and is identified as a poor metal in elements.wlonk.com. According to Krebs (2006), it is not possible to naturally find aluminum in its pure form. This is more so the case given that in its pure metallic form, it is very reactive – most particularly with oxygen.
Aluminum, as the Royal Society of Chemistry - RSC (2017) points out, was discovered in 1825 by a chemist of Danish extract known as Hans Oersted. However, as the society further observes, it was known that aluminum oxide, as early as the 1700s, contained a metal. All endeavors to extract this metal, however, failed until Hans developed a never tried before method to extract the metal (albeit an impure form). The method involved heating aluminum chloride with potassium (RSI, 2017). The extraction of pure aluminum was eventually done by Friedrich Wohler, who according to RSC pulled this feat by heating aluminum chloride with sodium.
Aluminum extraction, according to Geoscience Australia (2017), is undertaken in three stages. These include the excavation of bauxite ore, recovering alumina from the ore via a refinery process, and producing aluminum by smelting alumina.
Amongst all the chemical elements found in the periodic table, Aluminum remains one of the most widely used – as an alloy or in its pure form. It also retains its utility in a number of other compounds. As a matter of fact, aluminum only comes second to iron in terms of widespread usage. Being a rather versatile metal, Krebs (2006) points out that aluminum is mostly used in construction. Due to it being lightweight, despite being rather strong, aluminum is used in aircraft construction. Steel, being too heavy would be an unlikely raw material to be extensively used in aircraft manufacture. It is for this same strong/lightweight combination that aluminum is used in motor vehicle design and manufacture. In an attempt to save on battery poser, electric motor vehicle manufacture companies could also favor aluminum alloys going forward (Krebs, 2006).
Due to its non-toxicity, aluminum has also found widespread usage in the manufacture of cutlery items and containers used in the handling and storage of food and drinks (RSC, 2017). It is also important to note that as a result of its relatively high heat conductivity, aluminum also comes in handy in the manufacture of cooking items such as pans and cooking pots. As Krebs (2006) states, aluminum is also highly malleable. Malleability has got to do with the unique ability of a material or other item to withstand pressing or hammering without cracking or being broken. This unique quality of aluminum enables it to be pressed into a foil which is then used in a variety of settings i.e. in the food industry as a wrapping. It is important to note that due to its non-toxic nature, aluminum does not really have significant downsides or costs to our planet.
It would be difficult to imagine of a world where this key chemical element is absent. This would impact travel as it would be difficult to find a replacement for aluminum in airplane manufacture and vehicle assembly. Further, some items currently made of aluminum, manufacturing cost would go through the roof as stainless steel does cost more than aluminum.
In the final analysis, the relevance of aluminum as far as its utility and benefit to humanity is concerned cannot be overstated. The utility of aluminum, as has been discussed above comes from its key properties. Some of these include, but they are not limited to, its lightweight, high heat conductivity, malleability and non-toxic nature. No other chemical element has the same exact combination of these characteristics, effectively meaning that aluminum compares to none when it comes to its utility in the areas identified above.





















References
Geoscience Australia. (2017). Aluminum: Fact Sheet. Retrieved from http://www.australianminesatlas.gov.au/education/fact_sheets/aluminium.html
Elements.wlonk.com (2017). The Periodic Table of the Elements, in Pictures and Words. Retrieved from http://elements.wlonk.com/ElementsTable.htm
Krebs, R.E. (2006). The History and Use of Our Earth's Chemical Elements: A Reference Guide. New York, NY: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Royal Society of Chemistry – RSC. (2017). Periodic Table: Aluminum. Retrieved from http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/13/aluminium