Cobalt - Element of the Week from 1/11 -1/18

           

            Cobalt has an atomic number of 27. It is a silver to gray transition metal, but is never found by itself in nature. Rather, it is found in chemical compounds. The name cobalt comes from the German word for evil spirit (goblin) "kobald." Cobalt is generally isolated as a bi-product of mining copper and nickel.

            Cobalt is known for giving a distinct blue color in glass, ceramics, and glazes. It was from this fact that it was initially discovered. In 1735, Georg Brandt, a Swedish chemist, was trying to prove that some element - not bismuth, as was believed - caused the blue color mentioned above. An interesting fact about this discovery is that it was the first new element discovered since ancient times.

             The metal and its compounds are slightly toxic if it comes in contact with skin, and more so if ingested. It is also highly magnetic, even up to very high temperatures (Curie Temperature). Cobalt is quite chemically active, and this is one of the reasons that it is a component in many alloys. It has one stable isotope.

            There are numerous uses for cobalt. One of these is the coloration of glass, ceramics, and glaze as previously mentioned. When it comes to alloys, cobalt is used in numerous compounds. Cobalt superalloys are particularly stable, and are occasionally used in jet aircraft engines. These alloys are also used in many different implants and joint replacements in the human body.

            Cobalt is also used in batteries and its radioactive isotope is used as a medical radioactive tracer. Cobalt is also essential to all animal life. One of the most common supplements that contains cobalt is vitamin B₁₂.