Monday, 4 April 2016

Basic Information About Aluminum In NJ

By Anthony Stevens


Aluminium, also spelled as aluminum is a chemical element that falls in the boron group and has a symbol of Al. Physically, aluminium is relatively soft, lightweight, durable, malleable, and ductile metal. Its appearance varies with surface roughness, but ranges from silver to dull gray. The metal does not ignite easily and is nonmagnetic in nature. The metal occurs in many places in different forms. The aluminum in NJ is one of the most pure and easy to extract.

When aluminium is exposed to air, a thin layer of aluminium oxide is formed on its surface. This surface makes the metal to have good corrosion resistance capabilities. The layer also prevents this metal from undergoing further oxidation. Aluminium reacts with several acidic solutions, water, and aqueous salts. Its use in household plumbing is limited because of corrosion caused by chlorides such as sodium chloride, which are commonly found in tap water.

Aluminium exists in several isotopes that have mass numbers that range from 21 to 42. However, there are only two isotopes that are known to exist naturally. The two isotopes are the radioactive isotope of mass number 27 and the stable isotope of mass number 26. The radioactive isotope is produced by cosmic-ray proton from atmospheric argon in a process called spallation.

Aluminium isotopes are used in the dating of marine sediments, quartz, manganese nodules, glacial ice, and meteorites. The stable isotope in combination with Be (mass number 10) are used in studying the role of burial times, erosion, transport, deposition, and sediment storage on the 100000 and 1000000 time scales. The dating of asteroids and study of the moon are also done using the stable isotope.

Aluminium comes third when considering abundance in the crust after silicon and oxygen. It exists in form of bauxite ore. To extract the metal from the ore, the Bayer process is used. The degree of purity of ore dictates how much metal will be extracted from it. Amounts as low as a third of the whole ore are produced from the bauxite while the remaining parts are waste. Conversion of alumina into aluminium is done through the Hall-Heroult process.

Aluminium has several general uses. In fact, among non-ferrous metals, it is the most widely used metal. It is the second most produced metal worldwide after iron and its production is expected to continue growing. Aluminium is always used in form of alloys to improve its mechanical qualities. The main agents used in alloying include silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, and magnesium.

Some of the industries in which aluminium finds use include transportation, packaging, construction, and electrical transmission lines. In terms of household items, the metal is used to make cooking utensils, watches, electronics, windows, siding, and doors. Production of hydrogen gas is also done through chemical reactions of aluminium. Coins made from aluminum or aluminium with other metals have also been issued in various countries such as Israel, Italy, Romania, France, and Poland.

There are several health concerns related to aluminium. The metal is known to cause various conditions such as retardation in infants, allergy, digestive disorders, contact dermatitis, and reduced skeletal mineralization among others. Expression of effects of aluminium may depend on levels consumed, mode of consumption, and age among other factors.




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