Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust and was probably formed during the birth of our solar system through collisions of hydrogen atoms under intense heat and pressure. Aluminum never occurs as a metal in nature and is only found in the form of its compounds, such as alumina, because of its strong affinity with oxygen. It is this special bond for oxygen that explains why it withstood all attempts to prepare it in its elemental form until well into the nineteenth century.

The aluminum industry was founded in 1854, but it was not until the late 1880's that a method was found to bring down the prices and permit aluminum to be used in a wide variety of ways. Most of the aluminum in the world today is made from Bauxite. It was first discovered in 1821 near Les Baux, France. It was formed by the weathering of aluminous r

ocks such as feldspar, nepheline, and clays. During the weathering, these rocks are decomposed and leached out, leaving behind a residue of ore rich in alumina, iron oxide, and silica.

This next step is called the Hall-Heroult process. The smelting takes place in huge pots in which molten cryolite is poured. Electricity is then passed through the cryolite to form a crust. When this crust is formed, the alumina is then poured into the crust. The electric current is passed through the crust causing the oxygen to be driven off the alumina, leaving the aluminum atoms in a molten state collecting at the bottom of the pots. The aluminum is then transported into a holding furnace where it may be alloyed before being poured into holding tanks.

Aluminum has a variety of uses because of its properties. Perhaps the best known is that it is very light weight. It is only about one-third less dense than iron, copper, and zinc. Aluminum also has the highest strength to weight ratio of any of the commercial metals. Also, aluminum and its alloys are highly resistant to corrosion and are extremely conducive to electricity. It is because of these properties that industry has made many advances in technology.

Although pure aluminum has working and forming properties, it has low mechanical strength, and therefore must be strenghened by alloying before it can be used. Aluminum alloys are divided into two basic types, casting and wrought alloys. Casting alloys contain silicon, magnesium, copper, zinc, or nickel. This improves its corrosion resistance, strength, and stability.

Wrought alloys are alloys that have been mechanically worked after casting, including forging, rolling, drawing, and extruding. This usually makes the aluminum stronger, harder, and less ductile. Both of these processes of treating aluminum are helpful in creating a material that can be used for a variety of uses.

Aluminum is increasingly used to conserve energy both in home heating and cooling.

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