Aluminum information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its High Purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
 Aluminum is a silvery-white metal that possesses many desirable characteristics. It is light, nonmagnetic and nonsparking. It stands second among metals in the scale of malleability, and sixth in ductility. It is extensively used in many industrial applications where a strong, light, easily constructed material is needed. Although it's electrical conductivity is only about 60% that of copper, it is used in electrical transmission lines because of its light weight. Pure aluminum is soft and lacks strength, but alloyed with small amounts of copper , magnesium , silicon , manganese , or other elements impart a variety of useful properties. These alloys are of vital importance in the construction of modern aircraft and rockets. Aluminum, evaporated in a vacuum, forms a highly reflective coating for both visible light and radiant heat. They are used to coat telescope mirrors. Aluminum is available as metal and compounds with purities from 99% to 99.9999% (ACS grade to ultra-high purity); metals in the form of foil, sputtering target, and rod, and compounds as submicron and nanopowder.
Highly stable low oxidizing metals such as gold, iridium, aluminum and titanium are used in a host of medical applications, such as to create body implants and in regenerative medicine.
Aluminum facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
available for many specific states, forms and shapes on the product pages listed to the left. Elemental or metallic forms include pellets, rod, wire and granules for evaporation source material purposes. Nanoparticles and nanopowders provide ultra high surface area which nanotechnology research and recent experiments demonstrate function to create new and unique properties and benefits. Aluminum is not known to be harmful but ingestion may cause Alzheimer’s disease.
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Aluminum is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries.
Aluminum is a Block P, Group 13, Period 3 element. The number of electrons in each of Aluminum's shells is 2, 8, 3 and its electronic configuration is [Ne] 3s2 3p1. In its elemental form aluminum's CAS number is 7429-90-5. The aluminum atom has a radius of 143.2.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm.
All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%)  for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, thin fillm deposition using sputtering targets and evaporation materials, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology applications. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Aluminum compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis.
Aluminum was first synthesized by Hans Christian Oersted in 1825, but its discovery was initially made by an Englishman, Sir Humphrey Davy, who also named the metal for alumina, the mineral from which he was attempting to refine it, in 1812- the year he was knighted.
 Aluminium |
 Aluminium |
 Alluminio |
 Alumínio |
 Aluminio |
 Aluminium |
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of aluminum and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope.
| Isotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
| Al-27 |
26.9815384 |
100 |
The following table shows the abundance of Aluminum present in the human body and in the universe scaled to parts per billion (ppb) by weight and by atom:
| |
Typical Human Body |
Universe |
| by Weight |
900 ppb |
50000 ppb |
| by Atom |
210 ppb |
2000 ppb |
Safety Data and Biological Role. The safety data for aluminum metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin. Aluminum compounds may be involved with the action of enzymes.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for aluminum (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table:
| 1st Ionization Energy |
577.54 kJ mol-1 |
| 2nd Ionization Energy |
1816.69 kJ mol-1 |
| 3rd Ionization Energy |
2744.80 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to aluminum's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 2.65 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 1.61. The thermal conductivity of aluminum is 237 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for aluminum are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization.
| Heat of Fusion |
10.67 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Vaporization |
290.8 kJ mol-1 |
| Heat of Atomization |
324.01 kJ mol-1 |
Recent Research & Development for AluminumCharacterisation of optically stimulated luminescence dosemeters to measure organ doses in diagnostic radiology.
Endo A, Katoh T, Kobayashi I, Joshi R, Sur J, Okano T.
Dentomaxillofac Radiol. 2011 Nov 24. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22116136
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Metal recovery from high-grade WEEE: A life cycle assessment.
Bigum M, Brogaard L, Christensen TH.
J Hazard Mater. 2011 Oct 17. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22115841
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Protein interactions with nanosized hydrotalcites of different composition.
Bellezza F, Alberani A, Posati T, Tarpani L, Latterini L, Cipiciani A.
J Inorg Biochem. 2011 Oct 8;106(1):134-142. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22115829
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Neurobehavioral toxic effects of perinatal oral exposure to aluminum on the developmental motor reflexes, learning, memory and brain neurotransmitters of mice offspring.
Abu-Taweel GM, Ajarem JS, Ahmad M.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2011 Nov 13. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22115621
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Lithium-Ion Conducting Electrolyte Salts for Lithium Batteries.
Aravindan V, Gnanaraj J, Madhavi S, Liu HK.
Chemistry. 2011 Nov 24. doi: 10.1002/chem.201101486. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22114046
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Contact fatigue response of porcelain-veneered alumina model systems.
Stappert CF, Baldassarri M, Zhang Y, Stappert D, Thompson VP.
J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2011 Nov 24. doi: 10.1002/jbm.b.31977. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22113973
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Influence of formulation pH and suspension state on freezing-induced agglomeration of aluminum adjuvants.
Salnikova MS, Davis H, Mensch C, Celano L, Thiriot DS.
J Pharm Sci. 2011 Nov 23. doi: 10.1002/jps.22815. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22113733
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Evidence of foliar aluminium accumulation in local, regional and global datasets of wild plants.
Metali F, Salim KA, Burslem DF.
New Phytol. 2011 Nov 23. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03965.x. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22111583
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Turning aluminium into a noble-metal-like catalyst for low-temperature activation of molecular hydrogen.
Chopra IS, Chaudhuri S, Veyan JF, Chabal YJ.
Nat Mater. 2011 Nov 23;10(12):986. doi: 10.1038/nmat3174. No abstract available.
PMID:
22109610
[PubMed - in process]
Fabrication of a dual-layer aluminum nanowires polarization filter array.
Gruev V.
Opt Express. 2011 Nov 21;19(24):24361-9. doi: 10.1364/OE.19.024361.
PMID:
22109463
[PubMed - in process]
Image-quality perception as a function of dose in digital radiography.
Lehnert T, Naguib NN, Korkusuz H, Bauer RW, Kerl JM, Mack MG, Vogl TJ.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2011 Dec;197(6):1399-403.
PMID:
22109295
[PubMed - in process]
Highly sensitive nano-porous lattice biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance and interference.
Yeom SH, Kim OG, Kang BH, Kim KJ, Yuan H, Kwon DH, Kim HR, Kang SW.
Opt Express. 2011 Nov 7;19(23):22882-91. doi: 10.1364/OE.19.022882.
PMID:
22109166
[PubMed - in process]
Regulatory role of zinc during aluminium-induced altered carbohydrate metabolism in rat brain.
Singla N, Dhawan DK.
J Neurosci Res. 2011 Nov 23. doi: 10.1002/jnr.22790. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22108899
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Three-shell-based lens barrel for the effective athermalization of an IR optical system.
Yang HS, Kihm H, Moon IK, Jung GJ, Choi SC, Lee KJ, Hwang HY, Kim SW, Lee YW.
Appl Opt. 2011 Nov 20;50(33):6206-13. doi: 10.1364/AO.50.006206.
PMID:
22108878
[PubMed - in process]
Influences of heat seal lacquer thickness on the quality of blister packages.
Mühlfeld L, Langguth P, Häusler H, Hagels H.
Eur J Pharm Sci. 2011 Nov 16. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22108348
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Efficient extraction of vaccines formulated in aluminum hydroxide gel by including surfactants in the extraction buffer.
Zhu D, Huang S, McClellan H, Dai W, Syed NR, Gebregeorgis E, Mullen GE, Long C, Martin LB, Narum D, Duffy P, Miller LH, Saul A.
Vaccine. 2011 Nov 18. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22107848
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Electronic structure investigation of highly compressed aluminum with k edge absorption spectroscopy.
Benuzzi-Mounaix A, Dorchies F, Recoules V, Festa F, Peyrusse O, Levy A, Ravasio A, Hall T, Koenig M, Amadou N, Brambrink E, Mazevet S.
Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Oct 14;107(16):165006. Epub 2011 Oct 13.
PMID:
22107398
[PubMed - in process]
Short-time electron dynamics in aluminum excited by femtosecond extreme ultraviolet radiation.
Medvedev N, Zastrau U, Förster E, Gericke DO, Rethfeld B.
Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Oct 14;107(16):165003. Epub 2011 Oct 12.
PMID:
22107395
[PubMed - in process]
Nanoporous Polymeric Nanofibers Based on Selectively Etched PS-b-PDMS Block Copolymers.
Birlik Demirel G, Buyukserin F, Morris MA, Demirel G.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2011 Nov 22. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:
22107361
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Low bias electron scattering in structure-identified single wall carbon nanotubes: role of substrate polar phonons.
Chandra B, Perebeinos V, Berciaud S, Katoch J, Ishigami M, Kim P, Heinz TF, Hone J.
Phys Rev Lett. 2011 Sep 30;107(14):146601. Epub 2011 Sep 28.
PMID:
22107221
[PubMed - in process] |
| Formula |
Atomic Number |
Molecular Weight |
Electronegativity (Pauling) |
Density |
Melting Point |
Boiling Point |
Vanderwaals radius |
Ionic radius |
Energy of first ionization |
| Al |
13 |
26.98154 g.mol -1 |
1.61 |
2.7 g.cm-3 at 20 °C |
660.4 °C |
2467 °C |
200.pm |
0.05 nm |
577.54 kJ.mol-1 |
|
