INTRODUCTION
Cobalt is the 30th most abundant element in crustal rocks.It has a relatively low strength and little ductility at normal temperatures,but is ductile at high temperatures.
It is a silvery-white, magnetic, metallic element used chiefly for making alloys.It has a very important radioactive isotope (Cobalt-60) which is widely used in radioisotope therapy.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 27
- Atomic Mass
- 58.9332
- Atomic radius
- 0.116
- Ionization energy
- 758
- Electronic config
- 2,8,15,2
- Principal Valency
- +2
- Density g/cm³
- 8.90
- Melting point °C
- 1495
- Boiling point °C
- 2927
- Type of Element
- Metal
- Electronegativity
- 1.8
- Element Category
- Cobalt Group
- Appearance
- Silvery white solid
- Block
- d-block
- Period
- 4
- Group
- 9
- No of Isotopes
- N/A
- Occurrence
- Combine form
- Abundance in ppm
- 29
- Year of Discovery
- 1737
EXTRACTION
It is converted to its oxide and then reduce by carbon
OXIDATION STATES
+5,+4,+3,+2,+1,-1 (Amphoteric)
MAJOR SOURCE
Smaltite, Cobaltite, Erythrite
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Cobalt sulfarsenide Cobalt(II)chloride
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* Superalloys (Thermally resistant alloys),containing cobalt are used in industry and aircraft gas turbine engines.
* In the presence of tungsten carbide,cobalt forms Carboloy,a hard material used for cutting and machining steel.
* It is used in ceramics and paint driers and as a catalyst.
* Cobalt steel is used for making permanent magnets.