Aluminum: The Metallic Element By Michele Khan

General Properties Aluminum is a soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal Aluminum is nonmagnetic It is insoluble in alcohol, though it can be soluble in water in certain forms Aluminum has about one-third the density and stiffness of steel. Aluminum is a good thermal and electrical conductor (62% the conductivity of copper) Atomic radius of 143 pm General Properties Name, symbol, number Aluminum, Al, 13 Element CategoryOther metal Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p block Standard Atomic Weight Electron Configuration [Ne] 3s 2 3p 1 Electrons per shell2, 8, 3

Physical Properties PhaseSolid Density2.70 g·cm −3 Liquid Density at m. p g·cm −3 Melting Point K, °C, °F Boiling Point2792 K, 2519 °C, 4566 °F Heat of Fusion10.71 kJ·mol −1 Heat of Vaporization294.0 kJ·mol −1 Specific Heat Capacity(25 °C) J·mol −1 ·K −1

Aluminum’s Discovery Aluminum metal first produced in 1895 by Danish physicist and chemist Hans Christian Oersted. He reacted anhydrous aluminum chloride with potassium amalgam and produced a lump of metal looking similar to tin. imgurl= ications/apsnews/200807/image s/Orsted-web.jpg&imgrefur...

Economics Aluminum is widely used throughout the U.S economy, especially in transportation, packaging, and construction industries. Aluminum important when applied to the infrastructure, aerospace, and defense industries. In the U.S, the aluminum industry is the world's largest, accounting for the 17% of the world's primary aluminum production in Production and shipments of aluminum have risen steadily since //1.bp.blogspot.com/_1pb7adF2Rp0/SxMAJA BnAjI/AAAAAAAAByw/MEHM- aYbrlk/s1600/Quantity....

Environment Although Aluminum is the most abundant element in the earth’s crust, it is not found freely in nature- it is combined with other elements to form compounds. The most common compounds are alum: - potassium aluminum sulfate (KAl(SO 4 ) 2 ·12H 2 O), - and aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ). About 8.2% of the earth's crust is composed of aluminum.

Health: How Does Aluminum Affect Human Health? Workers who breathe large amounts of Al dusts can have lung problems – such as coughing or changes that show up in x-rays Oral exposure to aluminum is usually not harmful. Some studies show that people exposed to high levels of aluminum may develop Alzheimer’s disease, but other studies have not found this to be true. We do not know for certain that aluminum causes Alzheimer’s disease. People who have kidney disease store a lot of aluminum in their bodies. The kidney disease causes less aluminum to be removed from the body in the urine. Sometimes, these people developed bone or brain diseases that doctors think were caused by the excess aluminum. Although aluminum-containing over the counter oral products are considered safe in healthy individuals at recommended doses, some adverse effects have been observed following long-term use in some individuals.

Interesting Facts about Aluminum Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust Everyone has minute amounts of aluminum in their bodies Aluminum has two spellings: Aluminum and Aluminium Aluminum weighs about one-third as much as copper or steel The melting point of aluminum is 1221 °F / 660 °C Aluminum was discovered by Danish chemist Hans Christian Oersted in 1825 (Hans also discovered electromagnetism)