AL By: Priya Saksena and Tiffany Mantone

About Aluminum! SymbolAL Atomic Number13 Atomic Mass g Melting Point o C Boiling Point2467 o C FamilyOther metals Density2.708g/cm 3 Standard StateSolid # of electrons in outer shell3

After discoveries by Charles Martin Hall and Paul L. T. Heroult, it became possible to refine aluminum. Hall and Heroult discovered a way to dissolve aluminum in molten cryolite and to make aluminum commercially.

Aluminum on Periodic table Aluminum

Common Characteristics of Aluminum Pure aluminum is a silvery- white metal and possesses many desirable characteristics It is a soft and weak element. Aluminum can only be refined using huge amounts of electrical energy. It’s light, non-magnetic, and non-sparking.

What Aluminum is used for Aluminum is widely used for soda cans, car bodies, airplanes and utensils. It is also used for window frames and inside gemstones. Aluminum, evaporated in a vacuum, forms a highly reflective coating for both visible light and radiant heat. These coatings soon form a thin layer of the protective oxide and do not deteriorate as do silver coatings. They are used to coat telescope mirrors and to make decorative paper, packages, and toys.

Why is Aluminum used in soda cans? Aluminum is soft and weak so it can be easily shaped however needed. It is light, so if anyone is carrying it in a bag, the bag won’t get very heavy while holding it. Magnets won’t stick to the can when magnets are near the can. The can won’t get refined when huge amouts of electricity touches it. This is why aluminum is used in soda cans.

What other elements are used in soda cans? Tin is also used to make soda cans. When tin is added to aluminum, the can wont crumble or break down.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Brian Knapps, The Periodic Table, L.E.G.O. SpA, Italy, 1998 Page 30 John Emsley, The Elements (third edition), Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 1998; 13, 16 David E. Newton, Chemical Elements, U.X.L, Famington Hills, 1999; 5,8,9