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Aluminum (Al), also spelled aluminium, is a chemical element that is a lightweight silvery-white metal in Periodic Group 13 (IIIa, or the boron group). Aluminum is the most common nonferrous metal and the most abundant metallic element in the Earth‘s crust. It is pliable and malleable and is used in various products such as cans, foils, kitchen utensils, window frames, beer kegs, and aircraft parts.

See the fact file below for more information on Aluminum, or you can download our 27-page Aluminum worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

DISCOVERY

• Alum has been used for dyeing, tanning, and stopping bleeding since ancient times. Potassium aluminum sulfate is the chemical formula for alum.
• Andreas Marggraf, a German chemist, discovered in the 1750s that he could precipitate a new substance from alum using an alkali solution. Marggraf had previously isolated zinc in 1746.
• In 1760, French chemist Louis de Morveau named the substance Marggraf obtained from alum alumina. We now understand that alumina is aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al2O3.
• De Morveau thought alumina contained a new metallic element, but he, like Marggraf, could not extract this metal from its oxide.
• Humphry Davy, an English chemist, decomposed alumina in an electric arc in 1807 or 1808 to obtain metal. The metal was an alloy of aluminum and iron rather than pure aluminum.
• Davy named the new metal alumium, which he later renamed aluminum.
• Aluminum was discovered in 1825 in Copenhagen, Denmark, by Hans Christian Ørsted  (Oersted), who described it as “a lump of metal which in color and luster somewhat resembles tin.”
• Aluminum was created by Ørsted reducing aluminum chloride with a potassium-mercury amalgam. He used the heat to remove the mercury, leaving only aluminum.
• Friedrich Wöhler (Woehler), a German chemist, repeated Ørsted’s experiment but discovered that it yielded only potassium metal. Two years later, Wöhler improved the method by reacting volatilized aluminum trichloride with potassium to produce small amounts of aluminum.
• Berzelius stated in 1856 that Wöhler had succeeded in 1827. As a result, Wöhler is usually credited with the discovery.
• Fogh recently repeated the original experiments and demonstrated that Ørsted’s method could produce satisfactory results.
• It has increased the importance of Ørsted’s original work and his position as the discoverer of aluminum. 
• Aluminum remained a novelty for nearly three decades, expensive to produce and more valuable than gold, until Henri Saint-Claire Deville in Paris, France, discovered a way to replace potassium with much cheaper sodium in the reaction to isolate aluminum in 1854. Aluminum then became more popular, but they mostly used it for decoration rather than practical purposes because it was still quite expensive.
• Finally, in 1886, American chemist Charles Martin Hall and French chemist Paul Héroult independently invented the Hall-Héroult process, which isolates aluminum metal electrolytically from its oxide.

CHEMISTRY

• Aluminum (also known as Al) is the third most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Aluminum foil is widely used in the home, in crafts such as dyeing and pottery, and in construction to create alloys. 
• The metal is bluish-white and ductile in its purest form. It is an excellent heat and electricity conductor used in some wiring. It is too soft for construction when refined, but adding small amounts of silicon and iron significantly hardens it.
• Aluminum has thirteen electrons because its atomic number is thirteen. The electrons are then divided among the various orbitals. 
• Aluminum’s first two electrons are in the 1s orbital, and the next two are in the 2s orbital. The following six electrons in the second shell fill the 2p orbital (ten electrons so far, three more to go). The 3s orbital is then filled by electrons 11 and 12. Finally, the final electron resides in the 3p orbital.
• Aluminum’s ground state electron configuration is 1s²2s²2p⁶3s²3p¹, while [Ne]3s²3p¹ is the electron configuration. 
• There are three oxidation states for aluminum. 
• +3 is the most common. The other two numbers are +1 and +2. Aluminum has one +3 oxidation state in the compound aluminum oxide, Al2O3. AlO, aluminum monoxide, has an oxidation state of +2, whereas AlH has an oxidation state of +1.
• Aluminum is considered an active metal, although it does not appear to be particularly reactive. Its behavior is misleading because it quickly reacts with oxygen in the air to form aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), or alumina, which is tightly bound to the metal and exists as a dense coating (unlike iron oxides). 
• This coating prevents further reaction. This coating is not entirely foolproof because aluminum does not exist in its natural state.
• Alumina is a refractory aluminum oxide found in bauxite and corundum (sapphires and rubies). It has an extremely high melting point. One of the uses for this compound is to generate different colored light that can be used as a laser beam. 
• It is also used in pottery, dyeing, antacid medicines, and chemical production.
• Al(OH)₃ is another aluminum compound that forms a gelatinous precipitate when aluminum compounds are hydrolyzed in water.
• Aluminum sulfate, Al₂(SO₄)₃’18H₂O, is a valuable aluminum compound formed from oxide and sulfuric acid. This salt is used in the dyeing of cotton fabrics.
• The majority of aluminum today is produced by the Hall process, which uses significant amounts of electricity to electrolyze aluminum metal from a molten salt mixture.
• One of the main reasons why recycling aluminum is such a good and cost-effective idea is the large initial outlay of energy.
• They must reduce aluminum because it is found in compounds with other elements. Karl Bayer invented the Bayer process in 1887. It refers to refining bauxite, the most important aluminum ore, to produce alumina. The intermediate alumina must then be melted into metallic aluminum using the Hall-Heroult Process.

FUN FACTS

• Aluminum production requires a lot of energy; one metric ton of aluminum requires 17.4-megawatt hours of electrical power, three times more energy than a metric ton of steel. 
• Aluminum is an excellent metal for recycling. Only 5% of the energy required to produce aluminum from its ore, bauxite, is used in recycling.
• Under normal circumstances, aluminum does not adhere to magnets.
• The most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust is aluminum. At about 8%, aluminum is the third most abundant element in our planet’s crust, after oxygen and silicon.
• Despite its abundance, aluminum was more valuable than gold in the 1850s. Aluminum cost $1200 per kg in 1852, while gold cost $664 per kg.
• Aluminum prices demonstrate the dangers of financial speculation: in 1854, Saint-Claire Deville discovered a way to replace potassium in the reaction to isolate aluminum with much cheaper sodium. Aluminum was priced at $37 per kg in 1859, a 97% decrease in just five years.
• Whereas the previous item highlighted the dangers of speculation, this item highlights one of chemistry’s triumphs: the Hall-Heroult electrolytic process, which was discovered in 1886. Aluminum’s price had dropped to $1.20 per kg by 1895.
• Ruby gemstones are primarily aluminum oxide with chromium ions replacing a small number of aluminum ions.
• Aluminum is formed when a proton reacts with magnesium in the nuclear fires of massive stars. (Magnesium is created in heavy stars through the nuclear fusion of two carbons.)

USES OF ALUMINUM

• Aluminum is widely used worldwide due to its low density, low cost, and corrosion resistance.
• It is used in various products, from beverage cans to window frames, boats to aircraft. One hundred forty-seven thousand pounds (66,150 kg) of high-strength aluminum make up a Boeing 747-400.
• Aluminum, unlike some metals, has no odor, which explains its widespread use in food packaging and cooking pots.
• Aluminum is an excellent electrical conductor, though not quite as good as silver or copper. It is also much cheaper and lighter than these metals, so it is widely used in overhead power lines.
• Only iron is more widely used than aluminum among all metals.

ABUNDANCE AND ISOTOPES

• Abundance in Earth’s crust: 8.23 % by weight, 6.32 % by moles
• Abundance solar system: 56 ppm by weight, 2.7 ppm by moles
• Cost, pure: $15.72 per 100g
• Cost, bulk: $0.20 per 100g
• Abundance: Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and the third most abundant element after oxygen and silicon. Aluminum is too reactive to be found in its pure form. The most important ore is bauxite (primarily aluminum oxide).
• Isotopes: 15 with known half-lives, mass numbers 22 to 35. Only two naturally occur, 27Al, which is stable, and 26Al, which is radioactive, with a half-life of 7.17 x 105 years. Cosmic-ray bombardment of argon in the Earth’s atmosphere produces 26Al.

Aluminum Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Aluminum across 27 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about Aluminum, which is a chemical element that is a lightweight silvery-white metal in Periodic Group 13.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Aluminum Facts
2. Vocabulary Exercise
3. Did you know?
4. Find Me!
5. Discoveries
6. Jewelry Metals
7. Chemical Element
8. Element Profile
9. Al Everywhere
10. The Abundant Metal
11. A Collection of Things

Frequently Asked Questions

Can aluminum rust?

Aluminum does not rust, but it does corrode. The oxide coating on the metal surface is strong and can protect the metal from more damage. However, if the protective layer becomes weak, the metal can start to rust more easily.

Is aluminum magnetic?

Generally, aluminum is non-magnetic due to its crystalline composition. Along with other metals such as magnesium and lithium, it’s considered paramagnetic material.

Is it safe to eat aluminum?

While oral aluminum consumption may not impose any risks, some research suggests that exposure to higher concentrations might result in Alzheimer’s disease. However, this claim is still unconfirmed as other studies have failed to draw the same conclusion. As such, we cannot be certain whether or not aluminum triggers Alzheimer’s disease at this point.

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Link will appear as Aluminum Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 30, 2022