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Key facts

  • Aluminium was discovered in 1825 by the Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted,
  • The term originates from the Latin word alumen (alum),
  • Aluminium is the third most abundant element and the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust,
  • In 1827, the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler managed to extract pure aluminium powder which was more expensive than gold at the time,
  • The aluminium form as we know it today was extracted in as early as mid-1800s,
  • In addition to the primary form of extracting aluminium from bauxite, plenty of aluminium is extracted from recycled aluminium waste either,
  • Aluminium is exceptionally flexible and easy to form.

Prominent aluminium properties:

  • It is a white-silver bright metal,
  • It is a non-magnetic and soft metal,
  • In opposite to majority of metals, aluminium has low density – it is light,
  • It conducts heat and electricity well,
  • It is possible to be rolled down to the foil gauge,
  • It is non-toxic,
  • It is resistant to lots of acids, but not to sea water,
  • It is pure therefore not very strong; its mechanical strength is improved through joint casting with other metals.