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Curious facts about aluminum

25.03.2019

Aluminum is one of the youngest metals discovered by man. In nature it is not found in its pure form, therefore it was possible to obtain it only in the 19th century, thanks to the development of chemistry and the appearance of electricity. For a century and a half, aluminum has gone an incredibly interesting way from the precious metal to the material used absolutely in every sphere of human activity.

Continuation

Aluminum melts at a temperature of -660 ° C and reflects about 92% of visible light and infrared rays. Aluminum compounds are found not only on Earth but also on the Moon and Mars.
The aluminum is called a "winged metal". It is because of the perfect metal for aircraft! Due to its lightness and strength, it is actively used in aircraft construction. For the first time, aluminum "flew" in 1900 — in the form of a frame and propellers of Ferdinand Zeppelin, a huge LZ-1 dirigible.
The first experiments with aluminum car bodies are usually attributed to Audi, which presented the A8 light alloy in 1994. However, as early as the beginning of the twentieth century, this light metal on a wooden frame was the signature style of the bodies of the famous British Morgan sports cars. The real "aluminum invasion" in the auto industry began in the 1970s when factories began to use this metal in masse for the cylinder blocks of engines and gearbox housings instead of the usual cast iron; a little later, alloy wheels became popular instead of stamped steel. By the way, 1 kg of aluminum in a car saves more than 10 liters of gasoline for every 2,000 kilometers.
For the first time, aluminum foil was created in Switzerland in 1910, and in 1911 the famous Toblerone chocolate was packaged in it first. Aluminum foil has several properties that make it an ideal food packaging.
Aluminum is part of the body of each person, exceeding a mass of 140 grams. By the way, the daily need for an adult in aluminum is estimated at 2.45 mg.
When aluminum is burned in oxygen and fluorine, a lot of heat is released. Therefore, it is used as an additive to rocket fuel. During the flight, the Saturn rocket burns 36 tons of aluminum powder.
Unpainted polished reflectivity of aluminum is 92%! That is why it is used for the production of mirrors.
Aluminum can be fully processed, which consumes only the 20th part of the energy spent on the primary production of the same amount of metal.
One liter of seawater contains 0.01 mg of aluminum.
In 1967, American designers released a swimsuit made from aluminum yarn.
Mercury is not transported in airplanes? Mercury easily destroys the film of aluminum oxide. Without this protective film, aluminum quickly oxidizes and quickly collapses.
About 30% of all beverages in the world are bottled in aluminum cans. The rest — in glass, cardboard bags and plastic bottles. A typical aluminum beverage can decomposes in the soil in about 80-85 years.
Of all the numerous isotopes of aluminum, only two are found in nature. The rest can be obtained only by artificial means.
Aluminum is widely used in the production of fireworks to cause sparks and white flames, and it is also a key component of such festive fun as Bengal lights.