Aluminium

Aluminium and its alloys are widely used for various applications including aircraft assemblies and engine parts. It is a silvery white reactive metal which is usually covered in oxide, making it inert to acids, but it is attacked by alkalies. It is extracted from the hydrated oxide, Bauxite, by electrolysis of the oxide dissolved in molten sodium hexafluoroaluminate (cryolite). The metal has good thermal properties and is malleable and ductile. During the 19th century aluminium was the most expensive metal and some jewellery was made from it.

Symbol

Al

Discovered

The element was known in prehistoric times. In 1825 Hans Christian Oersted isolated impure aluminium. The pure metal was first isolated by Friedrich Wohler in 1827.

Abundance

The most common metallic element in the earth's crust at 82000 ppm.

Click on an item to paste into clipboard or use clipboard symbol at end to clipboard all values

Atomic number	13		Clip
Atomic / Molecular Weight	26.98154	gmol-1	Clip
Density	2698	kgm-3	Clip
Crystal Structure	fcc		Clip
Lattice constant	405	fm	Clip
Melting Point	934	K	Clip
Boiling Point	2793	K	Clip
Tensile strength	8000000	Nm-2	Clip
Yield strength	50000000	Nm-2	Clip
Youngs modulus	70000000000	Nm-2	Clip
Poissons ratio	0.33		Clip
Linear expansivity	0.000023	K-1	Clip
Specific heat capacity	900	Jkg-1K-1	Clip
Thermal conductivity	236	Wm-1K-1	Clip
Ionic radii	0.05	nm	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (longitudinal bulk waves)	6374	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Irrotational waves)	5102	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Shear waves)	3111	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Rayleigh waves)	2906	ms-1	Clip
Bulk Modulus of Rigidity	75500000000	Nm-2	Clip
Electromotive Series	1.67	V	Clip

paste all data into clipboard

See also: Aluminium Bromide, Aluminium Bronze, Aluminium Chloride, Aluminium Fluoride, Aluminium Hydride, Aluminium Hydroxide, Aluminium Iodide, Aluminium Nitride, Aluminium Oxide, Aluminium Sulphide, Bauxite, Gibbsite, Nonferrous, Periodic Table, Thermite Process.