Cobalt History
As my opening statement I would like to proudly say cobalt is an element which has its own gum. Though completely irrelevant to my report I enjoy it’s succulent, minty and long lasting flavor, because five… will stimulate your senses.
I figure I might as well go into the greater details of cobalt as well as what it is and how it came to be. In the year 1739, Swedish chemist, Georg Brandt was trying to prove to his colleges that Bismuth, the element credited for its believed ability to turn glass blue, was indeed a false achievement, and that an unknown element was to blame. After much experimentation and tests he found or should I rather put, discovered Cobalt, and in Swedish this translates into two things “goblin or evil spirit”. Cobalt interestingly enough has a “shot life” if you will, cobalt in nature is found as a solid and is most commonly found as a byproduct to mining iron and nickel, and is only classified as cobalt for about 40 days after being harvested.
Even more information about this fascinating element would be that it is an artificial isotope, is an important gamma ray source, and is extensively used as a tracer and a radio therapeutic agent. Other uses that are more close to home if you will would be that it can be used for high-speed, heavy-duty, high temperature cutting tools, and for dies. Cobalt is also used in other magnetic steels and stainless steels, and in alloys used in jet turbines and gas turbine generators. The metal is used in electroplating because of its appearance, hardness, and resistance to oxidation. This makes it an ideal element for anything involving extremely high temperatures and heavy mechanical work as stated earlier.
Environmentally, trace amounts of cobalt can be found in humans but is wide spread due to its slight occurrence in the air we breathe and food we eat. However, most of earth’s cobalt is in its core. Cobalt is of relatively low abundance in the Earth's crust and in natural waters, from which it
I figure I might as well go into the greater details of cobalt as well as what it is and how it came to be. In the year 1739, Swedish chemist, Georg Brandt was trying to prove to his colleges that Bismuth, the element credited for its believed ability to turn glass blue, was indeed a false achievement, and that an unknown element was to blame. After much experimentation and tests he found or should I rather put, discovered Cobalt, and in Swedish this translates into two things “goblin or evil spirit”. Cobalt interestingly enough has a “shot life” if you will, cobalt in nature is found as a solid and is most commonly found as a byproduct to mining iron and nickel, and is only classified as cobalt for about 40 days after being harvested.
Even more information about this fascinating element would be that it is an artificial isotope, is an important gamma ray source, and is extensively used as a tracer and a radio therapeutic agent. Other uses that are more close to home if you will would be that it can be used for high-speed, heavy-duty, high temperature cutting tools, and for dies. Cobalt is also used in other magnetic steels and stainless steels, and in alloys used in jet turbines and gas turbine generators. The metal is used in electroplating because of its appearance, hardness, and resistance to oxidation. This makes it an ideal element for anything involving extremely high temperatures and heavy mechanical work as stated earlier.
Environmentally, trace amounts of cobalt can be found in humans but is wide spread due to its slight occurrence in the air we breathe and food we eat. However, most of earth’s cobalt is in its core. Cobalt is of relatively low abundance in the Earth's crust and in natural waters, from which it