ALUMINUM
| Academic Decathlon | Adult School | Baseball | Chemistry Topics |
| Chemical Compounds | Interests | Numbers | Periodic Table |
| Physics | Reference | Sports | Students |
|
|
ALUMINUM |
|
| Do You Need Help in Chemistry? |
|
Introduction |
|
| Atomic Number: | 13 | Group: | 13 or III A | 13 | 26.981538 |
| Average Atomic Mass: | 26.981538 | Period: | 3 |
Al |
|
|
CAS Number: |
7429-90-5 | ||||
| Aluminum | |||||
 |
|||||
|
|
Classification |
|
| Metal | Nonmetal | Metalloid | ||
| Alkali Metal | Alkali Earth Metal | Transition Metal | Chalcogen | Halogen |
| Noble Gas | Lanthanoid | Actinoid |
Rare Earth Metal |
|
| Transuranium | No Stable Isotopes | |||
| Solid | Liquid | Gas |
Assumed Solid |
|
|
Description |
|
| The ancient Greeks and Romans used alum in medicine as an astringent, and as a mordant in dyeing. In 1761 de Morveau proposed the name alumine for the base in alum, and Lavoisier, in 1787, thought this to be the oxide of a still undiscovered metal. Wohler is generally credited with having isolated the metal in 1827, although an impure form was prepared by Oersted two years earlier. In 1807, Davy proposed the name alumium for the metal, undiscovered at that time, and later agreed to change it to aluminum. Shortly thereafter, the name aluminium was adopted to conform with the “ium” ending of most elements, and this spelling is now in use elsewhere in the world. Aluminium was also the accepted spelling in the U.S. until 1925, at which time the American Chemical Society officially decided to use the name aluminum thereafter in their publications. The method of obtaining aluminum metal by the electrolysis of alumina dissolved in cryolite was discovered in 1886 by Hall in the U.S. and at about the same time by Heroult in France. Cryolite, a natural ore found in Greenland, is no longer widely used in commercial production, but has been replaced by an artificial mixture of sodium, aluminum, and calcium fluorides. Bauxite, an impure hydrated oxide ore, is found in large deposits in Jamaica, Australia, Surinam, Guyana, Arkansas, and elsewhere. The Bayer process is most commonly used today to refine bauxite so it can be accommodated in the Hall-Heroult refining process, used to make most aluminum. Aluminum can now be produced from clay, but the process is not economically feasible at present. Aluminum is the most abundant metal to be found in the earth’s crust (8.1%), but is never found free in nature. In addition to the minerals mentioned above, it is found in feldspars, granite, and in many other common minerals. Seventeen isotopes and isomers are known. Natural aluminum is made of one isotope, 27Al. Pure aluminum, a silvery-white metal, possesses many desirable characteristics. It is light, nontoxic, has a pleasing appearance, can easily be formed, machined, or cast, has a high thermal conductivity, and has excellent corrosion resistance. It is nonmagnetic and nonsparking, stands second among metals in the scale of malleability, and sixth in ductility. It is extensively used for kitchen utensils, outside building decoration, and in thousands of industrial applications where a strong, light, easily constructed material is needed. Although its electrical conductivity is only about 60% that of copper, it is used in electrical transmission lines because of its light weight. Pure aluminum is soft and lacks strength, but it can be alloyed with small amounts of copper, magnesium, silicon, manganese, and other elements to impart a variety of useful properties. These alloys are of vital importance in the construction of modern aircraft and rockets. 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 have found application in coatings for telescope mirrors, in making decorative paper, packages, toys, and in many other uses. The compounds of greatest importance are aluminum oxide, the sulfate, and the soluble sulfate with potassium (alum). The oxide, alumina, occurs naturally as ruby, sapphire, corundum, and emery, and is used in glassmaking and refractories. Synthetic ruby and sapphire have found application in the construction of lasers for producing coherent light. In 1852, the price of aluminum was about $1200/kg, and just before Hall’s discovery in 1886, about $25/kg. The price rapidly dropped to 60¢ and has been as low as 33¢/kg. The price in December 1995 was about $1.70/kg. 1 |
|
|
Physical Properties |
|
| Normal Melting Point: | 660.32 °C = 933.47 K = 1220.576 °F 2 | Normal Boiling Point: | 2519 °C = 2792.15 K = 4566.2 °F 2 |
| Sublimation Point: | Triple Point: | ||
| Critical Point: | |||
| Density: | 2.7 g/cm3 | Crystal Structure: | cubic: face centered |
| Atomic Radius: | 1.82 Ǻ = 182 pm | Covalent Radius: | 1.18 Ǻ = 118 pm |
| Ionic Radius: | 1 Ǻ = 100 pm | Atomic Volume: | 10 cm3/mol |
| Qualitative Solubility: | s HCl, H2SO4, alk 3 | ||
| Note: Unless otherwise stated, solubility is for water at 25 degrees Celsius. | |||
|
|
Electron Configuration and Bonding |
|
| Predicted Electron Configuration: | [Ne] 3s2 3p1 |
Lewis Dot Diagram |
||||||
| Actual Electron Configuration: | [Ne] 3s2 3p1 |
x |
||||||
| Block: | p | Al |
x |
|||||
| Highest Occupied Energy Level: | 3 | |||||||
| Valence Electrons: | 3 |
x |
||||||
| Quantum Numbers: | n = 3 | ℓ = 1 | mℓ = -1 | ms = +½ | ||||
| Please note that information in this section can be derived entirely from the periodic table. Although most people do not discuss valence electrons of the d-block and f-block elements, on this page the number of electrons in the highest energy level of the actual electron configuration was used to determine valence electrons. | ||||||||
| Electronegativity (Pauling): | 1.61 | Electropositivity (Pauling): | 2.39 | ||||
| Electron Affinity: | 0.44 eV = 42.45 kJ/mol = 10.15 kcal/mol | Oxidation States: | +3 | ||||
| Work Function:4 | 4.19 eV = 6.71238E-19 J | ||||||
| Ionization Potential 5 | eV | kJ/mol | Ionization Potential 5 | eV | kJ/mol | ||
| 1 | 5.98577 | 577.5 | 8 | 284.66 | 27465.5 | ||
| 2 | 18.82856 | 1816.7 | 9 | 330.13 | 31852.7 | ||
| 3 | 28.44765 | 2744.8 | 10 | 398.75 | 38473.5 | ||
| 4 | 119.992 | 11577.5 | 11 | 442 | 42646.5 | ||
| 5 | 153.825 | 14841.9 | 12 | 2085.98 | 201266.4 | ||
| 6 | 190.49 | 18379.5 | 13 | 2304.141 | 222315.8 | ||
| 7 | 241.76 | 23326.3 | |||||
| Note: Only the electronvolt values are given in the CRC Handbook, a conversion factor was used to find the kJ/mol value. | |||||||
|
|
Thermochemistry |
|
| Specific Heat: | 0.9 J/g°C = 0.215 cal/g°C | Thermal Conductivity: | 237 (W/m)/K, 27ºC | ||||
| Heat of Fusion: | 10.79 kJ/mol = 399.9 J/g | Heat of Vaporization: | 293.4 kJ/mol = 10874.1 J/g | ||||
| State of Matter | Enthalpy of Formation | Entropy of Formation | Gibbs Free Energy | ||||
| (kcal/mol) | (kJ/mol) | (cal/K) | (J/K) | (kcal/mol) | (kJ/mol) | ||
| (s) | 0 | 0 | 6.77 | 28.32568 | 0 | 0 | |
| (l) | 2.07 | 8.66088 | 8.42 | 35.22928 | 1.58 | 6.61072 | |
| (g) | 78.00 | 326.352 | 39.30 | 164.4312 | 68.30 | 285.7672 | |
|
|
Video |
|
| Video on aluminum from the University of Nottingham's periodicvideos.com | |
| This video, made in 1956, shows how aluminum contributes to the everyday lives of Americans - Part 1. | |
| This video, made in 1956, shows how aluminum contributes to the everyday lives of Americans - Part 2. | |
|
|
Isotopes |
|
| Nuclide | Mass | Half-Life | Nuclear Spin | Binding Energy (kJ/mol) |
| 21Al | 21.02804(32)# | <35 ns | 1/2+# | 12443685446.6637 |
| 22Al | 22.01952(10)# | 59(3) ms | (3)+ | 14032027526.7502 |
| 23Al | 23.007267(20) | 470(30) ms | 5/2+# | 15890013318.4428 |
| 24Al | 23.9999389(30) | 2.053(4) s | 4+ | 17388474161.327 |
| 25Al | 24.9904281(5) | 7.183(12) s | 5/2+ | 18976816241.4138 |
| 26Al | 25.98689169(6) | 7.17(24)E+5 a | 5+ | 20115752135.4889 |
| 27Al | 26.98153863(12) | STABLE | 5/2+ | 21344569266.7669 |
| 28Al | 27.98191031(14) | 2.2414(12) min | 3+ | 22123980212.0342 |
| 29Al | 28.9804450(13) | 6.56(6) min | 5/2+ | 22993272394.5032 |
| 30Al | 29.982960(15) | 3.60(6) s | 3+ | 23592920865.3669 |
| 31Al | 30.983947(22) | 644(25) ms | (3/2,5/2)+ | 24282450573.4316 |
| 32Al | 31.98812(9) | 31.7(8) ms | 1+ | 24612455332.6875 |
| 33Al | 32.99084(8) | 41.7(2) ms | (5/2+)# | 25212103803.5506 |
| 34Al | 33.99685(12) | 56.3(5) ms | 4-# | 25452227325.6052 |
| 35Al | 34.99986(19) | 38.6(4) ms | 5/2+# | 25961994559.2663 |
| 36Al | 36.00621(23) | 90(40) ms | 26112236844.1184 | |
| 37Al | 37.01068(36) | 10.7(13) ms | 3/2+ | 26532122840.5775 |
| 38Al | 38.01723(78) | 7.6(6) ms | 26682365125.4289 | |
| 39Al | 39.02297(158) | 7.6(16) ms | 3/2+# | 27012369884.6861 |
| 40Al | 40.03145(75)# | 10# ms [>260 ns] | 26982849695.1342 | |
| 41Al | 41.03833(86)# | 2# ms [>260 ns] | 3/2+# | 27133091979.9863 |
| 42Al | 42.04689(97)# | 1# ms | 27193453027.637 | |
| Values marked # are not purely derived from experimental data, but at least partly from systematic trends. Spins with weak assignment arguments are enclosed in parentheses. 6 | ||||
|
|
Reactions |
|
| The Hall process is a means of separating aluminum metal from alumina, or aluminum oxide. This happens as a consequence of the oxide's reaction with graphite (carbon). Carbon dioxide gas is also released. |
| The original commercial process for the preparation of aluminum involved the reduction of aluminum chloride with sodium. Sodium chloride is also produced. |
| When a mixture of aluminum powder and iron (III) oxide (called thermite) is ignited, it reacts in a spectacular incandescent shower, producing molten iron. The molten iron from the reaction has been used for welding. Aluminum oxide is also produced. |
| An economical process for obtaining pure aluminum, the Alcoa chlorine process, has been developed on a commercial scale. In the second and last step, aluminum chloride is melted and electrolyzed to give aluminum and the recovered chlorine is reused in the first step. |
| Metals other than the noble metals such as silver and gold react with acids to produce hydrogen. Aluminum is a metal that reacts with hydrochloric acid to produce aluminum chloride solution and hydrogen. |
| Aluminum added to an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid forms a solution of aluminum sulfate. Hydrogen gas is also released. |
| Aluminum chloride is a catalyst for a variety of industrial reactions. It is produced from the reaction of hydrogen chloride gas and aluminum shavings. |
| An alloy of aluminum and magnesium was treated with sodium hydroxide solution and water, in which only the aluminum reacts. Sodium aluminum hydroxide and hydrogen gas are the products. |
| Ammonium perchlorate is the oxidizing agent for the aluminum powder in the solid-fuel booster rocket of the space shuttle; each launch uses more than 700 tons of ammonium perchlorate. The reaction of these two solids produces aluminum oxide, water vapor, nitrogen, and gaseous aluminum chloride. |
| When powdered aluminum metal is mixed with pulverized iodine crystals and a drop of water is added, the resulting reaction produces a great deal of energy. The mixture bursts into flames and a purple smoke of iodine vapor is produced from the excess iodine. Aluminum iodide is the only product of this synthesis reaction. |
| Dilute nitric acid, upon reaction with aluminum, will produce water, and a solution containing aluminum nitrate and ammonium nitrate. |
| The production of manganese from the ore pyrolusite, which contains manganese (IV) oxide, uses aluminum as a reducing agent. Aluminum oxide is a second product. |
| When aluminum metal reacts with liquid bromine, the reaction produces aluminum bromide - Al2Br6. |
| Aluminum can react with oxygen in the air to give aluminum oxide. |
|
|
Abundance |
|
| Earth: | Source Compounds: | oxides 7 |
| Earth: | Ocean Water: | 0.002 mg/L 8 |
| Earth: | Crust: | 82300 mg/kg = 8.23% 8 |
| Earth: | Mantle: | 1.8% 9 |
| Earth: | Total: | 1.41% 10 |
| Mercury: | Total: | 1.08% 10 |
| Venus: | Total: | 1.48% 10 |
| Human Body: | Total: | 0.00009% 11 |
|
|
Compounds |
|
|
|
Prices |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Safety |
|
| Note: Not every link below has an entry for every element on the periodic table. Sites were selected based on those that had a large number of element and compound entries. |
| Scorecard's Pollution Information − not an MSDS, but it does provide basic information (among other things) on human heath hazards and industrial uses. |
| Although not truly an MSDS, Oxford University's Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory does provide some basic information. |
| Iowa State University |
| ESPI Metals |
|
|
Languages |
|
| Afrikaans: | Aluminium | Albanian: | Alumin | Armenian: | Ալյումինում | Arabic: | ألومنيوم |
| Aromanian: | Aluminiumu | Basque: | Aluminioa | Bosnian: | Aluminij | Breton: | Aluminiom |
| Bulgarian: | Алуминий | Byelorussian: | Алюміній | Catalan: | Alumini | Chinese: | 铝 |
| Cornish: | Alumynyum | Croatian: | Aluminij | Czech: | Hliník | Danish: | Aluminium |
| Dutch: | Aluminium | Esperanto: | Aluminio | Estonian: | Alumiinium | Faroese: | Aluminium |
| Finnish: | Alumiini | French: | Aluminium | Friulian: | Alumini | Frisian: | Aluminium |
| Galician: | Aluminio | Georgian: | ალუმინი | German: | Aluminium | Greek: | Αργιλιο |
| Hebrew: | אלומיניום | Hungarian: | Alumínium | Icelandic: | Ál | Irish Gaelic: | Alúmanam |
| Italian: | Alluminio | Japanese: | アルミニウム | Kashubian: | Aluminijô | Kazakh: | Алюминий |
| Korean: | 알루미늄 | Latvian: | Aluminijs | Lithuanian: | Aliuminis | Luxembourgish: | Aluminium |
| Macedonian: | Алуминиум | Malay: | Aluminium | Maltese: | Aluminjum | Manx Gaelic: | Ollymin |
| Mokshan: | Алюмини | Mongolian: | Хөнгөн цагаан | Norwegian: | Aluminium | Occitan: | Alumini |
| Ossetian: | Алюминий | Polish: | Glin | Portuguese: | Alumínio | Russian: | Алюминий |
| Scottish Gaelic: | Alùmanam | Serbian: | Алуминиjум | Slovak: | Hliník | Spanish: | Aluminio |
| Sudovian: | Aliuminis | Swahili: | Alumini | Swedish: | Aluminium | Tajik: | Alyumini' |
| Thai: | อะลูมิเนียม | Turkish: | Alüminyum | Ukranian: | Алюміній | Uzbek: | Алюминий |
| Vietnamese: | Nhôm | Welsh: | Alwminiwm |
|
|
For More Information |
|
| From Online Periodic Tables: | |
| About.com | American Elements |
| Chemical & Engineering News | Chemical Elements |
| ChemGlobe | Chemicool |
| Environmental Chemistry | Eni Generalic |
| HyperPhysics from Georgia State University's Department of Physics and Astronomy | InfoPlease |
| Lenntech | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Physics Department of the University of Coimbra | Qivx Inc. |
| Royal Society of Chemistry's Visual Elements | Schenectady County Community College |
| Thomas Jefferson Lab National Accelerator Facility | WebElements |
| Wikipedia | X-ray properties: Carlo Segre from Illinois Institute of Technology |
| Articles: | |
| (1) Castelvecchi, Davide. Let There be Aluminum-42. Science News, October 27, 2007, pp 260. | |
| Other Sites: | |
| Electrolytic Production of Aluminum | |
| World Production of Aluminum | |
| International Aluminum Institute | |
|
|
Sources |
|
| (1) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4-3. |
| (2) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 4-132. |
| (3) - Dean, John A. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 11th ed.; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, NY, 1973; p 4-8 - 4-149. |
| (4) - Speight, James. Lange's Handbook of Chemistry, 16th ed.; McGraw-Hill Professional: Boston, MA, 2004; p 1-132. |
| (5) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 10-178 - 10-180. |
| (6) - Atomic Mass Data Center. http://amdc.in2p3.fr/web/nubase_en.html (accessed July 14, 2009). |
| (7) - Silberberg, Martin S. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, 4th ed.; McGraw-Hill Higher Education: Boston, MA, 2006, p 965. |
| (8) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 14-17. |
| (9) - Silberberg, Martin S. Chemistry: The Molecular Nature of Matter and Change, 4th ed.; McGraw-Hill Higher Education: Boston, MA, 2006, p 962. |
| (10) - Lide, David R. CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd ed.; CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, 2002; p 7-17. |
|
|
ALUMINUM |
|
| Site designed and maintained by Mr. Everett. |
| Last update: Thursday, August 12, 2010 |