See Also: Chemical Elements
Metallic Element, used in antiquity but first isolated by
Friedrich WÖHLER in 1827. The
silver-white metal is ductile and malleable, and conducts Heat and Electricity. Although very reactive chemically, aluminum resists corrosion by forming a
protective oxide (alumina, see Oxidation and Reduction) coating. The most abundant metal in the earth's crust (about 8% by Weight), it occurs combined with other Elements in such minerals as alum, bauxite, corundum, cryolite, feldspar, and mica.
Aluminum and its compounds are used in paints, foil, jewelry, and welding.
Aluminum wire (see Conductor), cheaper and lighter than Copper wire, is used in high-tension power transmission. The strong, hard alloy
duralumin is used in aircraft.