ALUMINUM or ALUMINIUM
Aluminum is the 13th element in the periodic
table, which means it has 13 protons in its
atomic nucleus.
This is the 3rd most common element on earth's
surface and the most abundant metal overall,
comprising about 8.2% of the crust.
And despite being so abundant, until a process
utilizing electric currents was developed
by Charles Hall and Paul Heroult in 1886 metallic
Aluminum was a very rare metal, only used
in jewelry.
In fact in 1860 Napoleon the III of France
spent a small fortune ordering a silverware
set made of Aluminum, just to impress visiting
dignitaries.
The element Aluminium is formed in stellar
furnaces or in supernova explosions by the
fusion of a nucleus of Hydrogen with one of
Magnesium.
In nature this element is found in over 270
different minerals, the most commons being
Bauxite, Gibbsite
Most deposits are found in Australia, Brazil,
Guinea and Jamaica.
And the global production of NEW metal is
of about 20 Million tons/year, with estimate
global reserves of about 6 billion tons.
But not all Aluminium is taken from the ground,
about 50% of the total metal produced every
year comes from recycling.
This is good because NEW Aluminum production
requires a lot of electricity, taking an estimate
5% of the entire energy production of the
US alone.
While recycled aluminum only requires 5% of
the energy needed to produce the new metal
from ore.
The name of this element derives from Latin
Alumen, meaning bitter salt.
In English the element name can be officially
spelled in two ways: Aluminum (in the US)
and Aluminium in the rest of the world.
The first documented uses of the element was
in the form of the salt Alum which was originally
exported from Turkey as a fixing agent in
dyes.
In the Roman period alum was also used to
stop bleeding, an application that continues
to the present.
In its pure form Aluminum metal is shiny and
very malleable.
It also has very low density, making it extraordinarily
light and strong when combined with other
elements.
It is used pretty much everywhere, from electric
cables to cooking pans, and from structural
frames in buildings to critical elements in
space rockets.
Several precious gems are also made of a crystal
form of Aluminum Oxide and small amounts or
other contaminants.
Cobalt to make Sapphires, Chromium to make
Rubis and Iron to make Topaz.
And lets not forget about Transparent Aluminum
invented by Plexicorp in 1986 thanks to Scotty.
Because it is so abundant in soil plants and
animals are very tolerant to Aluminium and
about 1% of the dry mass of some tea leaves
are of the element.
The human body has about 60mg of the metal.
Some people are allergic to low amounts of
the element found in antiperspirants and some
anti-acids.
But even those who are not allergic to the
element can be intoxicated if consuming more
than 40mg/Kg of their body mass.
Most aluminum in food however is not absorbed
by the body.
In the 1970's some dialysis patients started
developing progressive brain damage, a problem
later linked to high levels of aluminum coming
from parts of the equipment.
This caused great concern with the public
as cooking in aluminum pans was/is a very
common practice.
Aluminum was also thought to cause Alzheimer's,
but the link to the element was later discarded
and found to be caused by an agent used to
enhance images of brain cells used in the
study.
But most recent studies show that cooking
in Aluminum pans does not significantly increase
the amount of the element in food unless when
preparing acidic dishes such as tomato sauce.
The normal consumption of Aluminum in food
and drinks averages about 5mg/day.
Vegetables such as spinach, lettuce and onions
are particularly good sources.
And so is processed cheese.
Most of it however is not absorbed 
by the body.
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