Aluminum
Post-Transition Metal
Aluminum (Al) is a chemical element with atomic number 13, classified as a post-transition metal. At room temperature it is a solid. It was discovered in 1825 by Hans Christian Ørsted.
Properties
- Atomic number
- 13
- Atomic mass
- 26.982 u
- Category
- Post-Transition Metal
- Group
- 13
- Period
- 3
- Block
- p-block
- Electron configuration
- [Ne] 3s² 3p¹
- Phase at STP
- Solid
- Density
- 2.698 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 933.47 K (660.3 °C)
- Boiling point
- 2792 K (2518.8 °C)
- Electronegativity
- 1.61
- Atomic radius
- 118 pm
- Ionization energy
- 5.986 eV
- Discovery
- 1825 · Hans Christian Ørsted
Common uses
Cans, foil, aircraft, building materials, electrical wiring
Did you know?
Most abundant metal in Earth's crust and was once more valuable than gold.
Compounds you can make with aluminum
Aluminum appears in 2 compounds in our periodic table sandbox. Each one is a real substance with its true chemical formula — combine the right elements in the right ratio below to discover it.
-
Al2O3
Aluminium Oxide (Alumina)
A very hard compound; rubies and sapphires are alumina with trace impurities.
-
AlCl3
Aluminium Chloride
A workhorse catalyst in petroleum refining and organic synthesis.