Aluminum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Aluminum - Essay Example Aluminum is a member of the group III of the periodic table and is classified as a metal with properties lying midway between metals and metalloids. The 8% by weight of the Earth’s crust is made up of aluminum which makes it the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and also the third most abundant element. Though insoluble in water, aluminum is a very reactive material. For using in various applications across different engineering and technology fields aluminum has to be extracted from its ores, a majority of which are oxides of aluminum. The most abundant ore of aluminum is bauxite ore. Aluminum has vast applications and is considered to be the most widely used material in all types of engineering. The property of aluminum which makes it suitable for use in various different kinds of engineering applications is its low density and ability to resist corrosion. The ability to resist corrosion is developed through forming a thin layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of aluminum which makes it a passive material as aluminum oxide is a very less reactive. This phenomenon of placing a layer of oxide on the surface of a metal is known as passivation. The light weight of aluminum makes it useful in aerospace industry and the use of aluminum cladding is also getting popularity in architectural and construction industry. There are many chemical reactions in which aluminum can be used as a catalyst due to its reactive nature.