Al - Aluminium

13
Al
Aluminium

Aluminium Element Information, Facts, Properties, Trends, Uses, Comparison with other elements

Element 13 of Periodic table is Aluminium with atomic number 13, atomic weight 26.981538. Aluminium, symbol Al, has a Face Centered Cubic structure and Silver color. Aluminium is a Post Transition Metal element. It is part of group 13 (boron family). Know everything about Aluminium Facts, Physical Properties, Chemical Properties, Electronic configuration, Atomic and Crystal Structure.
13 Al - Aluminium | SchoolMyKids

Aluminium (or aluminum; see different endings) is a chemical element in the boron group with symbol Al and atomic number 13. It is a silvery-white, soft, nonmagnetic, ductile metal. Aluminium is the third most abundant element (after oxygen and silicon), and the most abundant metal, in the Earth's crust.

It belongs to group 13 of the periodic table having trivial name triels, icosagens. You can also download Printable Periodic Table of Elements Flashcards for Aluminium in a PDF format.

Aluminium Facts

Read key information and facts about element Aluminium

NameAluminium
Atomic Number13
Atomic SymbolAl
Atomic Weight26.981538
PhaseSolid
ColorSilver
Appearancesilvery gray metallic
ClassificationPost Transition Metal
Natural OccurancePrimordial
Group in Periodic Table13
Group Nameboron family
Period in Periodic Tableperiod 3
Block in Periodic Tablep-block
Electronic Configuration[Ne] 3s2 3p1
Electronic Shell Structure (Electrons per shell)2, 8, 3
Melting Point933.47 K
Boiling Point2792 K
CAS NumberCAS7429-90-5
Neighborhood Elements
123456789101112131415161718
1
1
H
Hydrogen
1.008

Atomic #

Electronic Shell #

Symbol
Name
Atomic Weight
HGas
HgLiquid
CSolid
Metals
Metalloids
NonMetals
Alkali metals
Alkali earth metals
Lanthanoids
Transition metals
Post-transition metals
Other nonmetals
Halogens
Nobel gas
Actinoids
2
He
Helium
4.003
2
3
Li
Lithium
6.941
4
Be
Beryllium
9.012
5
B
Boron
10.811
6
C
Carbon
12.011
7
N
Nitrogen
14.007
8
O
Oxygen
15.999
9
F
Fluorine
18.998
10
Ne
Neon
20.180
3
11
Na
Sodium
22.990
12
Mg
Magnesium
24.305
13
Al
Aluminium
26.982
14
Si
Silicon
28.085
15
P
Phosphorus
30.974
16
S
Sulfur
32.065
17
Cl
Chlorine
35.453
18
Ar
Argon
39.948
4
19
K
Potassium
39.098
20
Ca
Calcium
40.078
21
Sc
Scandium
44.956
22
Ti
Titanium
47.867
23
V
Vanadium
50.941
24
Cr
Chromium
51.996
25
Mn
Manganese
54.938
26
Fe
Iron
55.845
27
Co
Cobalt
58.933
28
Ni
Nickel
58.693
29
Cu
Copper
63.546
30
Zn
Zinc
65.409
31
Ga
Gallium
69.723
32
Ge
Germanium
72.640
33
As
Arsenic
74.922
34
Se
Selenium
78.960
35
Br
Bromine
79.904
36
Kr
Krypton
83.798
5
37
Rb
Rubidium
85.468
38
Sr
Strontium
87.620
39
Y
Yttrium
88.906
40
Zr
Zirconium
91.224
41
Nb
Niobium
92.906
42
Mo
Molybdenum
95.940
43
Tc
Technetium
98
44
Ru
Ruthenium
101.070
45
Rh
Rhodium
102.906
46
Pd
Palladium
106.420
47
Ag
Silver
107.868
48
Cd
Cadmium
112.411
49
In
Indium
114.818
50
Sn
Tin
118.710
51
Sb
Antimony
121.760
52
Te
Tellurium
127.600
53
I
Iodine
126.904
54
Xe
Xenon
131.293
6
55
Cs
Cesium
132.905
56
Ba
Barium
137.327
57 - 71
La - Lu
Lanthanides
72
Hf
Hafnium
178.490
73
Ta
Tantalum
180.948
74
W
Tungsten
183.840
75
Re
Rhenium
186.207
76
Os
Osmium
190.230
77
Ir
Iridium
192.217
78
Pt
Platinum
195.078
79
Au
Gold
196.967
80
Hg
Mercury
200.590
81
Tl
Thallium
204.383
82
Pb
Lead
207.200
83
Bi
Bismuth
208.980
84
Po
Polonium
209
85
At
Astatine
210
86
Rn
Radon
222
7
87
Fr
Francium
223
88
Ra
Radium
226
89 - 103
Ac - Lr
Actinides
104
Rf
Rutherfordium
261
105
Db
Dubnium
262
106
Sg
Seaborgium
266
107
Bh
Bohrium
264
108
Hs
Hassium
269
109
Mt
Meitnerium
268
110
Ds
Darmstadtium
281
111
Rg
Roentgenium
272
112
Cn
Copernicium
285
113
Nh
Nihonium
284
114
Fl
Flerovium
289
115
Mc
Moscovium
288
116
Lv
Livermorium
292
117
Ts
Tennessine
294
118
Og
Oganesson
294
Lanthanides
57
La
Lanthanum
138.905
58
Ce
Cerium
140.116
59
Pr
Praseodymium
140.908
60
Nd
Neodymium
144.240
61
Pm
Promethium
145
62
Sm
Samarium
150.360
63
Eu
Europium
151.964
64
Gd
Gadolinium
157.250
65
Tb
Terbium
158.925
66
Dy
Dysprosium
162.500
67
Ho
Holmium
164.930
68
Er
Erbium
167.259
69
Tm
Thulium
168.934
70
Yb
Ytterbium
173.040
71
Lu
Lutetium
174.967
Actinides
89
Ac
Actinium
227
90
Th
Thorium
232.038
91
Pa
Protactinium
231.036
92
U
Uranium
238.029
93
Np
Neptunium
237
94
Pu
Plutonium
244
95
Am
Americium
243
96
Cm
Curium
247
97
Bk
Berkelium
247
98
Cf
Californium
251
99
Es
Einsteinium
252
100
Fm
Fermium
257
101
Md
Mendelevium
258
102
No
Nobelium
259
103
Lr
Lawrencium
262

How to Locate Aluminium on Periodic Table

Periodic table is arranged by atomic number, number of protons in the nucleus which is same as number of electrons. The atomic number increases from left to right. Periodic table starts at top left ( Atomic number 1) and ends at bottom right (atomic number 118). Therefore you can directly look for atomic number 13 to find Aluminium on periodic table.

Another way to read periodic table and locate an element is by using group number (column) and period number (row). To locate Aluminium on periodic table look for cross section of group 13 and period 3 in the modern periodic table.

Aluminium History

The element Aluminium was discovered by H.C.Ørsted in year 1825 in Denmark. Aluminium was first isolated by H.C.Ørsted in 1825. Aluminium derived its name from alumina, a compound (originally aluminum).

Discovered By H.C.Ørsted
Discovery Date 1825 in Denmark
First Isolation 1825
Isolated by H.C.Ørsted

Antoine Lavoisier predicted in 1787 thatalumineis the oxide of an undiscovered element, and in 1808 Humphry Davy tried to decompose it. Although he failed, he suggested the present name. Hans Christian Ørsted was the first to isolate metallic aluminium in 1825.

Aluminium Uses

Aluminum is a soft and malleable metal used in cans and fouls, utensils, airplane and automotive parts, and other structural applications.

Aluminium Presence: Abundance in Nature and Around Us

The table below shows the abundance of Aluminium in Universe, Sun, Meteorites, Earth's Crust, Oceans and Human Body.

 ppb by weight (1ppb =10^-7 %)ppb by atoms (1ppb =10^-7 %)
Abundance in Universe500002000
Abundance in Sun600003000
Abundance in Meteorites93000006700000
Abundance in Earth's Crust8200000063000000
Abundance in Oceans51.1
Abundance in Humans900210

Crystal Structure of Aluminium

The solid state structure of Aluminium is Face Centered Cubic.

The Crystal structure can be described in terms of its unit Cell. The unit Cells repeats itself in three dimensional space to form the structure.

Unit Cell Parameters

The unit cell is represented in terms of its lattice parameters, which are the lengths of the cell edges Lattice Constants (a, b and c)

abc
404.95 pm404.95 pm404.95 pm

and the angles between them Lattice Angles (alpha, beta and gamma).

alphabetagamma
π/2 π/2 π/2

The positions of the atoms inside the unit cell are described by the set of atomic positions ( xi, yi, zi) measured from a reference lattice point.

The symmetry properties of the crystal are described by the concept of space groups. All possible symmetric arrangements of particles in three-dimensional space are described by the 230 space groups (219 distinct types, or 230 if chiral copies are considered distinct.

Space Group NameFm_ 3m
Space Group Number225
Crystal StructureFace Centered Cubic
Number of atoms per unit cell4
13 Al Aluminium - Crystal Structure | SchoolMyKids

The number of atoms per unit cell in a simple cubic, face-centered cubic and body-centred cubic are 1,4,2 respectively.

Aluminium Atomic and Orbital Properties

Aluminium atoms have 13 electrons and the electronic shell structure is [2, 8, 3] with Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers) 2P1/2.

Atomic Number13
Number of Electrons (with no charge)13
Number of Protons13
Mass Number27
Number of Neutrons14
Shell structure (Electrons per energy level)2, 8, 3
Electron Configuration[Ne] 3s2 3p1
Valence Electrons3s2 3p1
Valence (Valency)3
Main Oxidation States3
Oxidation States-2, -1, 1, 2, 3
Atomic Term Symbol (Quantum Numbers)2P1/2

Bohr Atomic Model of Aluminium - Electrons per energy level

13 Al Aluminium Electron Shell Structure | SchoolMyKids
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Ground State Electronic Configuration of Aluminium - neutral Aluminium atom

Abbreviated electronic configuration of Aluminium

The ground state abbreviated electronic configuration of Neutral Aluminium atom is [Ne] 3s2 3p1. The portion of Aluminium configuration that is equivalent to the noble gas of the preceding period, is abbreviated as [Ne]. For atoms with many electrons, this notation can become lengthy and so an abbreviated notation is used. This is important as it is the Valence electrons 3s2 3p1, electrons in the outermost shell that determine the chemical properties of the element.

Unabbreviated electronic configuration of neutral Aluminium

Complete ground state electronic configuration for the Aluminium atom, Unabbreviated electronic configuration

1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1

Electrons are filled in atomic orbitals as per the order determined by the Aufbau principle, Pauli Exclusion Principle and Hund’s Rule.

As per the Aufbau principle the electrons will occupy the orbitals having lower energies before occupying higher energy orbitals. According to this principle, electrons are filled in the following order: 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, 3d, 4p, 5s, 4d, 5p, 6s, 4f, 5d, 6p, 7s, 5f, 6d, 7p…

The Pauli exclusion principle states that a maximum of two electrons, each having opposite spins, can fit in an orbital.

Hund's rule states that every orbital in a given subshell is singly occupied by electrons before a second electron is filled in an orbital.

Electron configuration of Aluminium

Atomic Structure of Aluminium

Aluminium atomic radius is 118 pm, while it's covalent radius is 118 pm.

Atomic Radius Calculated118 pm(1.18 Å)
Atomic Radius Empirical125 pm (1.25 Å)
Atomic Volume9.99 cm3/mol
Covalent Radius118 pm (1.18 Å)
Van der Waals Radius184 pm
Neutron Cross Section0.233
Neutron Mass Absorption 0.03

Spectral Lines of Aluminium - Atomic Spectrum of Aluminium

A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from an excess or deficiency of photons in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies. Spectral lines are often used to identify atoms and molecules.

Spectral lines are the result of interaction between a quantum system and a single photon. A spectral line may be observed either as an emission line or an absorption line.

Spectral lines are highly atom-specific, and can be used to identify the chemical composition of any medium. Several elements, including helium, thallium, and caesium, were discovered by spectroscopic means. They are widely used to determine the physical conditions of stars and other celestial bodies that cannot be analyzed by other means.

Emission spectrum of Aluminium

Emission Spectrum of Aluminium | SchoolMyKids

Absorption spectrum of Aluminium

Absorption Spectrum of Aluminium | SchoolMyKids

Aluminium Chemical Properties: Aluminium Ionization Energies and electron affinity

The electron affinity of Aluminium is 42.5 kJ/mol.

Valence3
Electronegativity1.61
ElectronAffinity42.5 kJ/mol

Ionization Energy of Aluminium

Ionization energy is the amount of energy required to remove an electron from an atom or molecule.in chemistry, this energy is expresed in kilocalories per mole (kcal/mol) or kilojoules per mole (kJ/mol).

Refer to table below for Ionization energies of Aluminium

Ionization energy numberEnthalpy - kJ/mol
1st577.5
2nd1816.7
3rd2744.8
4th11577
5th14842
6th18379
7th23326
8th27465
9th31853
10th38473
11th42647
12th201266
13th222316

Aluminium Physical Properties

Refer to below table for Aluminium Physical Properties

Density2.7 g/cm3(when liquid at m.p density is $2.375 g/cm3)
Molar Volume9.99 cm3/mol

Elastic Properties

Young Modulus70
Shear Modulus26 GPa
Bulk Modulus 76 GPa
Poisson Ratio0.35

Hardness of Aluminium - Tests to Measure of Hardness of Element

Mohs Hardness2.75 MPa
Vickers Hardness167 MPa
Brinell Hardness245 MPa

Aluminium Electrical Properties

Electrical resistivity measures element's electrical resistance or how strongly it resists electric current.The SI unit of electrical resistivity is the ohm-metre (Ω⋅m). While Electrical conductivity is the reciprocal of electrical resistivity. It represents a element's ability to conduct electric current. The SI unit of electrical conductivity is siemens per metre (S/m).

Aluminium is a conductor of electricity. Refer to table below for the Electrical properties of Aluminium

Electrical conductors Conductor
Electrical Conductivity38000000 S/m
Resistivity2.6e-8 m Ω
Superconducting Point1.175

Aluminium Heat and Conduction Properties

Thermal Conductivity235 W/(m K)
Thermal Expansion0.0000231 /K

Aluminium Magnetic Properties

Magnetic TypeParamagnetic
Curie Point-
Mass Magnetic Susceptibility7.8e-9 m3/kg
Molar Magnetic Susceptibility2.1e-10 m3/mol
Volume Magnetic Susceptibility0.0000211

Optical Properties of Aluminium

Refractive Index-

Acoustic Properties of Aluminium

Speed of Sound5100 m/s

Aluminium Thermal Properties - Enthalpies and thermodynamics

Refer to table below for Thermal properties of Aluminium

Melting Point933.47 K(660.32 °C, 1220.576 °F)
Boiling Point2792 K(2518.85 °C, 4565.930 °F)
Critical Temperature-
Superconducting Point1.175

Enthalpies of Aluminium

Heat of Fusion10.7 kJ/mol
Heat of Vaporization293 kJ/mol
Heat of Combustion-

Aluminium Isotopes - Nuclear Properties of Aluminium

Aluminium has 22 isotopes, with between 21 and 42 nucleons. Aluminium has 1 stable naturally occuring isotopes.

Isotopes of Aluminium - Naturally occurring stable Isotopes: 27Al.

IsotopeZNIsotope Mass% AbundanceT halfDecay Mode
21Al13821Synthetic
22Al13922Synthetic
23Al131023Synthetic
24Al131124Synthetic
25Al131225Synthetic
26Al131326Synthetic
27Al131427100%Stable
28Al131528Synthetic
29Al131629Synthetic
30Al131730Synthetic
31Al131831Synthetic
32Al131932Synthetic
33Al132033Synthetic
34Al132134Synthetic
35Al132235Synthetic
36Al132336Synthetic
37Al132437Synthetic
38Al132538Synthetic
39Al132639Synthetic
40Al132740Synthetic
41Al132841Synthetic
42Al132942Synthetic

Regulatory and Health - Health and Safety Parameters and Guidelines

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) identifies hazard class of all dangerous elements/goods/commodities either by its class (or division) number or name. The DOT has divided these materials into nine different categories, known as Hazard Classes.

Substances which in contact with water emit flammable gases

NFPA 704 is a Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response. NFPA is a standard maintained by the US based National Fire Protection Association.

The health (blue), flammability (red), and reactivity (yellow) rating all use a numbering scale ranging from 0 to 4. A value of zero means that the element poses no hazard; a rating of four indicates extreme danger.

NFPA Fire Rating1Flash Points Above 93.3°C (200°F)
NFPA Health Rating0 Will not burn
NFPA Reactivity Rating1 Flash Points Above 93.3°C (200°F)
NFPA Hazards
Autoignition Point400 °C
Flashpoint645 °C

Database Search

List of unique identifiers to search the element in various chemical registry databases

DatabaseIdentifier number
CAS Number - Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)CAS7429-90-5
RTECS NumberRTECSBD0330000
CID Number CID5359268
Gmelin Number-
NSC Number-

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Aluminium

The electronic configuration of Aluminium is 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1.

The abbreviated electronic configuration of Aluminium is [Ne] 3s2 3p1. To form abbreviated notation of electronic configuration, the completely filled subshells are replaced by the noble gas of the preceding period in square brackets.

Symbol of Aluminium is Al. Aluminium is a chemical element with symbol Al and atomic number 13.

Aluminium is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium is the 13 element on the periodic table. It is located in group 13 and period 3 in the modern periodic table.

The atomic number of Aluminium is 13.

Aluminium is of Silver color.

The element Aluminium was discovered by H.C.Ørsted in year 1825 in Denmark. Aluminium was first isolated by H.C.Ørsted in 1825.

Aluminium has 3 valence electrons. Aluminium has 13 electrons out of which 3 valence electrons are present in the 3s2 3p1 outer orbitals of atom.

Melting Point of Aluminium is 933.47 K.

Boiling Point of Aluminium is 2792 K.

Melting Point of Aluminium in Kelvin is 933.47 K.

Boiling Point of Aluminium in Kelvin is 2792 K.

Melting Point of Aluminium in Celsius is 660.32 °C.

Boiling Point of Aluminium in Celsius is 2518.85 °C.

Melting Point of Aluminium in Fahrenheit is 1220.58 °F.

Boiling Point of Aluminium in Fahrenheit is 4565.93 °F.

The electronic configuration of Aluminium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1.

The electronic configuration of Aluminium will be 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p1.