Cobalt

Cobalt ore

Description

A hard, ductile metallic element. Cobalt was first identified by Georg Brandt of Sweden in 1735. It has an abundance of 0.001-0.002% in the earth's crust and is found in the minerals smaltite, cobaltite, chloanthite, linnaetite, and erythrite. Metallic cobalt is added to alloys to increase hardness at high temperatures. It is also Ferromagnetic. Cobalt oxides and salts are usually blue and they are used as pigments in paints, glass, and ceramic glazes.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Co; cobalto (It., Port., Esp.,); Kobolt (Ned., Sven.)

Other Properties

Soluble in mineral acids and attacked slowly by alkalis.

Composition	Co (atomic no. 27)
CAS	7440-48-4
Melting Point	1493
Density	8.92
Molecular Weight	atomic wt = 58.9332
Boiling Point	about 3100

Hazards and Safety

Flammable solid. May explode when heated. Fumes may cause irritation or illness. Dust is toxic by inhalation. Contact may cause irritation. Potential carcinogen.

Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Additional Information

Web Elements: Website

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 60

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 2488

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998

• Website address 1 Comment: Web elements at http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Co/hist.html