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Hey Kids! For a metal that plays such an important part in our everyday life - from foil to beverage cans to airplanes to automobiles - aluminum really hasn't been around that long. That's because aluminum doesn't occur in its metallic form in nature. Although it is the most common metal found on Earth - it makes up over 8 percent of our planet's "crust" - it is too reactive with other elements to occur naturally. Scientists instead had to figure out how to make metallic aluminum from its ore, which is known as bauxite. It took many decades before science discovered a way to produce aluminum from bauxite in amounts that would allow it to be used widely in the aluminum products that we enjoy today. In fact, it wasn't until 1886 that Charles Martin Hall discovered the method that we still use today to produce aluminum. It is called the electrolytic reduction method. Hall would go on to form the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, which would be renamed the Aluminum Company of America and later "Alcoa." In effect, Hall invented the modern aluminum industry as we know it - and even sold and marketed some of the first products to use aluminum, like pots and pans! Aluminum is nowadays used for lots more than just pots and pans, though. Because it is lightweight, strong, durable, conducts heat well, and doesn't rust easily, aluminum can be found in a wide range of products, like window and door frames, electronics, mirrors, flagpoles, boats, trains, planes, and lots more. Click on the three illustrations below to find out more about the: 1. History of aluminum, all the nifty products that are made from it, and when they were invented.... 2. Fun facts about where and how much aluminum is in use today.... 3. For iPad or other tablet/mobile devices, click on illustration 3 of "Tab" to download directly and read as an eBook! 1. |
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