CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ALUMINUM

State (s, l, g): solid

Melting point: 933.57 K (660.32 oC) Boiling point: 2740 K (2466.85 oC)
Energies

Specific heat capacity: 0.90 J g-1 K-1 Heat of atomization: 326 kJ mol-1
Heat of fusion: 10.790 kJ mol-1 Heat of vaporization: 293.40 kJ mol-1
1st ionization energy: 577.6 kJ mol-1 2nd ionization energy: 1816.6 kJ mol-1
3rd ionization energy: 2744.7 kJ mol-1 Electron affinity: 42.6 kJ mol-1
Oxidation & Electrons

Shells: 2,8,3 Electron configuration: [Ne] 3s2 3p1

Minimum oxidation number: 0 Maximum oxidation number: 3
Min. common oxidation no.: 0 Max. common oxidation no.: 3
Electronegativity (Pauling Scale): 1.61 Polarizability volume: 8.3 Å3
Appearance & Characteristics

Structure: fcc: face-centered cubic Color: silvery

Harmful effects: No proven issues; ingestion may cause Hardness: 2.8 mohs
alzheimer's disease

CHARCTERISTICS

Aluminum is a silvery-white metal. It is non-magnetic and an excellent electrical conductor. It is

of low density and high ductility. It is too reactive to be commonly found as the metal although,
very rarely, the native metal can be found. (5)

Aluminum's appearance is dulled and its reactivity is passivated by a film of aluminum oxide that
naturally forms on the surface of the metal under normal conditions. The oxide film results in a
material that resists corrosion. The film can be thickened using electrolysis or oxidizing agents
and aluminum in this form will resist attack by dilute acids, dilute alkalis and concentrated nitric
acid.

Aluminum lies sufficiently far on the right side of the periodic table that it shows some hints of
nonmetal behavior, reacting with hot alkalis to form aluminate ions [Al(OH)4]- as well as the more
typical metal reaction with acids to release hydrogen gas and form the positively charged metal
ion, Al3+. i.e. aluminum is amphoteric.

Pure aluminum is quite soft and lacking in strength. Aluminum used in commercial applications
has small amounts of silicon and iron (less than 1%) added, resulting in greatly improved
strength and hardness.

Uses:
As a result of its low density, low cost, and corrosion resistance, aluminum is widely used
around the world.

It is used in an extensive range of products from drinks cans to window frames and boats to
aircraft. A Boeing 747-400 contains 147,000 pounds (66,150 kg) of high-strength aluminum.

Unlike some metals, aluminum has no aroma - hence its widespread use in food packaging and
cooking pots.

Although not quite as good as silver or copper, aluminum is an excellent electrical conductor. It
is also considerably cheaper and lighter than these metals, so it is used widely in overhead
power lines.

Of all the metals, only iron is used more widely than aluminum

Aluminum is used excessively in the modern world, and the uses of the
metal are extremely diverse due to its many unusual combinations of
properties. No other metallic element can be used in so many ways
across such a variety of domains, like in the home, in transport, on land,
sea and in air, and in industry and commerce. Aluminum's uses are not
always as obvious as they may seem, with sizeable proportions of
manufactured aluminum and aluminum oxide going into other separate
processes, like the manufacture of glass, rather than towards the
common consumer products that we most readily associate Aluminum
with.

Packaging
One of the most common end uses of aluminum is packaging, including
drinks cans, foil wrappings, bottle tops and foil containers. Each of these
relies on aluminum to provide a way of containing the food cleanly, and
to protect it from changes in the local environment outside the
packaging. Aluminum is still used in a very big way in the food
packaging industry despite recent health worries linking aluminum to
Alzheimer's disease. Aluminum's natural resistance to corrosion aids it in
its role in packaging (and many other areas), as unlike in iron, aluminum
oxide forms a protective and not destructive layer. Aluminum is also
completely impermeable, (even when rolled into extremely thin foil),
and also doesn't let the aroma or taste out of food packaging, the metal is
non-toxic and aromaless itself too, making it perfect for packaging.

Used in Aeroplanes.
Aluminum's unbeatable strength to weight ratio1 gives it many uses in
the transport industry. Transport is all about moving things around and to
do so a force is always required. As force = mass x acceleration
(Newton's Second Law of Motion), less force is needed to move a
lighter object to a certain acceleration than is needed to get a heavier
object to the same acceleration. As aluminum is so lightweight this
means that less energy needs to be used to move a vehicle made with
aluminum than one made from a heavier metal, say steel. Although
aluminum isn't the strongest of metals its alloys use other elements to
pin dislocations in its structure to increase its strength. With trains, boats
and cars aluminum is useful for this lightweight property (which gives
fuel efficiency) but not essential, in planes however maintaining a
relatively low weight is vital (in order to level the ground), and
aluminum allows planes to have to this. In modern planes aluminum
makes up 80% of their (unladen) weight, and a normal Boeing 747
contains about 75 000 kg of the metal. Its corrosion resistance is an
advantage in transport (as well as packaging) as it makes painting planes
unnecessary saving some hundreds of kilograms of further weight.

Aluminum in powerlines.
Weight is also important in aluminum's electrical uses, where it's low
density2 makes it the first choice for long distance powerlines despite
having just 63% of the electrical conductivity of (much denser) copper.
In fact 1 kg of aluminum conducts almost twice as much electricity as 1
Kg of copper. Since 1945 aluminum has been used in high voltage
electrical transmission, in place of copper as it is the most cost efficient
power line material. With copper many heavy, and expensive support
structures needed to be used, yet using aluminum fewer lighter and
cheaper supports have to be used. This saves huge amount of money,
despite a wastage in electricity due to lower conductivity. Aluminum is
also more ductile than copper, so it is easier to draw it into wires to
produce these power lines, its corrosion resistance completes
aluminum's profile as the perfect choice for long-distance electricity
distribution. Aluminum has other electrical applications too including
TV aerials, satellite dishes, and being the standard base for bulbs.
Buildings made with aluminum are virtually maintenance free due to the
strength of aluminum's corrosion resistance. Due to this and its light
weight it is used in cladding, windows, skylights, gutters, door frames,
and roofing. Insulated aluminum cladding is also very thermally
efficient, keeping homes warm in winter, and cool in summer. One layer
of insulated aluminum cladding is as effective as four inches of brick or
ten of stone. Aluminum can also be painted and used with other material
to achieve a particular effect on the appearance of a building. The metal
is extremely versatile and it can be curved, tapered, welded, bonded and
cut to any shape to be used for a certain job.

Ideal in construction.

Aluminum also has further end uses in products used more readily
around the home. Like all the other uses they relate specifically back to
the properties of the metal. The material is used to make saucepans,
kitchen utensils, golf clubs, tennis bats, indoor and outdoor furniture,
fridges, and toasters.

Summary: Aluminum has a huge number of uses. These range from all
sorts of packaging, through to aeroplanes, cars and train carriages.
Aluminum is also vital in powerlines, the building and construction
industry and commonplace household objects. The key features that lend
aluminum to these uses are corrosion resistance, low density, ductility,
electrical conductivity and strength in alloys.
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