Aluminium: The Metal That Was Once More Precious Than Gold
Aluminium is a common material found in everything. However, this metal was once considered a precious commodity, more valuable than gold and silver.
Believe it or not, aluminium was once considered more precious than gold and silver. Although today aluminium is ubiquitous, making up about 8% of the Earth’s crust and used in everything from soda cans to airplanes, this metal was once a rare commodity that commanded prices higher than gold.
The Elusive Metal
Ancient civilizations like the Egyptians and Greeks utilized aluminum compounds in various applications, but the pure metallic form remained unknown. It wasn’t until the 18th century that the first steps towards understanding aluminium’s unique nature were taken.
In 1761, a Swedish scientist named Carl Wilhelm Scheele was the first to isolate a substance he believed to be a new element. He called it “alumine,” which would later become known as aluminium oxide. However, Scheele’s discovery did not lead to the identification of aluminium as a distinct metal, as his work was overshadowed by other scientific pursuits of the time.
The true isolation of aluminium as a metal was achieved by a Danish chemist and physicist, Hans Christian Ørsted, in 1825. He successfully extracted small amounts of aluminum by using a complex process involving potassium amalgam. Ørsted’s achievement marked a significant step in the understanding of aluminum’s properties and its potential applications.
Despite these breakthroughs, aluminum remained a rare and challenging material to produce in larger quantities due to the lack of efficient methods for its extraction. This changed in 1827 when German chemist Friedrich Wöhler used a technique called electrolysis to isolate aluminum. However, the process was laborious and costly, limiting aluminum’s practical use.
“Aluminum was a rare, gleaming metal of seemingly endless potential,” explains Dr. Susan James, a metals historian. “But unlocking its secrets and making it affordable took incredible persistence.”
Aluminium’s Rarity and Elegance: A Choice for the Rich and Famous
Back in the 1700s, aluminium was something really special. Unlike today when we see it everywhere, getting aluminium from its main source, a rock called bauxite, was hard work. People had to do complicated things to turn it into metal. Because it was so tough to make, aluminium became a metal for fancy and important people.
The most important guests hosted by Emperor Napoleon III of France didn’t eat with regular plates and forks. They used shiny aluminum ones instead. The emperor wanted to show off, so he saved the gold and silver for others. This strange idea showed how much he liked aluminum.
For a similar reason, the special 6-meter-tall obelisk built in Paris many years ago to honour Emperor Napoleon III is not made of stone as you’d expect. It’s made of aluminum!
But aluminium was more than just a status symbol; it represented innovation and progress. Extracting it required advancing electrolysis technology, and its lightweight yet sturdy properties opened new doors across various industries.
Fun Fact: By the mid-1800s, aluminum commanded a jaw-dropping price of $1,200-$2,000 per kg, over double the $664 per kg price of gold!
The Hall-Héroult Process Revolutionizes Aluminum Production
In the mid-19th century, a significant breakthrough emerged that would completely transform the way aluminium was produced. By 1886, American chemist Charles Martin Hall and French engineer Paul Héroult had separately devised the groundbreaking Hall-Héroult process. This revolutionary technique enabled the efficient extraction of aluminum from bauxite, its raw material, through the utilization of electrolysis. As a result of this innovative process, the cost of aluminium production underwent a dramatic reduction, leading to its accessibility for a wide range of applications.
With greater availability, aluminium quickly found new applications in construction, packaging, transportation, and more. It was lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and versatile – the perfect combination for innovation.
Aluminum had made the journey from precious rarity to essential ubiquity. What other metals may follow similar paths from scarce to widespread? The future of material science holds exciting possibilities!
