Aluminum is an abunant metal
and has many uses. It comes from an ore, bauxite. It looks like clay and
contains aluminum and several other substances. Workmen extract these other
substances from the bauxite. They grind the bauxite and put it in pressured
tanks. The other substances form a mass which is removed with filters,
and a liquid remains. They put it through several other processes and it
finally yields a powdery, white, chemical called alumina. Alumina is a
mixture that contains aluminum and oxygen. Workmen separate the two by
using electricity producing a metal which is light, has a bright silvery
luster, and comes in many forms. |