March 29, 2024, 06:17:38 AM
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Topic: Aluminium - Enthalpy, Electron configuration and the process of the making.  (Read 5530 times)

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Offline Andorael

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Hello, this would be the first time that I post on these forums and I hope that I haven't placed this topic in a inappropriate thread, if I have I shall try to learn from the mistake.

My problem manifests itself in that I cannot find any concrete sources that draw a parallel between the properties, attributes and location (in which I mean where and how it is extracted from the earth) connected to Aluminium's electron configuration and enthalpy, expecting answers may be unfair but my hopes were that maybe I could be directed to a source of information that could prove of some use or given any advice, really, all help would be appreciated.

Once again, I apologize if I have caused any inconvenience by posting it here.

Offline Enthalpy

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My very elementary answer, until more sophisticated people pass by:

Similarly to silicon, aluminium is light and easily oxidized, as compared to iron and nickel.
Earth composes of much metal, a bit of oxygen, little carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen...

So you find oxidized aluminium and silicon at Earth's surface, and metallic iron and nickel in depth.

That is, nearly every stone or pebble in Earth's crust is silica or an alumino-silicate.

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This segregation happened because Earth is big enough that gravitation and radioactivity have melted it. Expect the same for the biggest asteroids, down to some 500km size - all objects with a round shape. Smaller objects, with an irregular shape, are not differentiated into core, crust and the like.

Offline Andorael

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None the less, thanks! I shall do what I can make of your answer even though I will gladly accept any other means to achieve more elaborate answers.

Offline Enthalpy

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Aluminium being the third most abundant element in Earth's crust
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium
and very evenly spread, miners prefer bauxite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauxite
only because its contents is higher. But as metal reduction is the costly step, about any rock would be an ore.

So either you answer "get it from anywhere in the crust"
or
you find some extra-subtle explanation why some places contain the more concentrated oxide and hydroxide instead of the common aluminosilicate, based just on the valence and heat...
good luck then!

What the heat of formation of the oxide and the redox potential of the salts tell is that very few metals would reduce aluminium from its salts, and these metals would themselves be hard to produce, hence the production by electrolysis. Same Wiki.

The price of electricity tells you at least where the electrolysis plants are located, if not the ores: near electric dams, for instance in Quebec.

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