Aluminium

By John Emsley2014-01-07T00:00:00

Source: © Shutterstock

John Emsley looks at the element that’s so useful, so abundant, but so difficult to extract

Aluminium is the third most abundant element, and the most abundant metal, in the Earth’s crust. The principal ore is bauxite, which contains a mixture of aluminium hydroxides.

Does aluminium cause Alzheimer’s disease? How can aluminium be used to form gemstones? What makes it so difficult to extract? And why is it so useful? John Emsley discusses.

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