Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earth’s crust (8.1%) and the most plentiful metal on our planet. Despite its ubiquity, it was once more valuable than gold because it is never found in its pure metallic form in nature—it is always tightly bound in compounds like bauxite.
In 1884, a small 6-pound aluminum pyramid was placed atop the Washington Monument as a luxury ornament and lightning conductor. Construction aluminum
Aluminum salts were used for thousands of years in medicines and dyes. Aluminum is the third most abundant element in
Charles Martin Hall and Paul Héroult independently discovered an economical way to extract aluminum via electrolysis. This Hall-Héroult process is still the primary method used today. aluminum