Aluminium was first discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in 1825. Oersted discovered aluminium in Denmark and it originates from the Latin word "alumen" meaning "alum". Aluminium is the IUPAC standard spelling of the word. In the U.S.A, aluminium was the accepted spelling until 1925, then the American Chemical Society decided to revert back to aluminium, at which time the American Chemical Society decided to revert back to aluminum, and to this day Americans still refer to aluminium as "aluminum". It is a soft, lightweight, silvery-white metal. It is a member of group IIIa of the periodic table. The symbol is Al, the atomic number is 13, atomic weight is 26.98154, and the state of aluminium at room temperature is solid. Exposed surfaces form a protective oxide layer. It reacts really violent with oxidants. Aluminium is third most abundant element in the earth's crust. Aluminium is the most abundant metal that you can find in the earth's crust, but it will not be found in nature for free. Aluminium never occurs as a metal in nature and is only found in the form of its compounds. Its compounds is what makes the element so useful. Aluminium is mainly obtained from bauxite. It is too soft in its pure form so less than 1 % of silicon or iron is added, which hardens and strengthens it. Aluminium is used so much in today's world but never by its self. .
Aluminium is used for tons of things because of its properties. Aluminium's strength while still being light has a made it a great metal and it can be used from cans to kitchen utensils. Behind iron, aluminium is the second most used metal in today's world. Aluminium is even used on airplane parts because of how light it is while still being extremely strong. It is also used in cars but not as much as airplanes due to the cost. Aluminium foil is a great example because it used very wildly among people for wrapping food and is also beginning to replace copper wire in electrical windings.
