Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-23
USES OF ALUMINIUM.
A Very Abundant Metallic Substance
Which is Valuable
FOR MANY PRACTICAL PURPOSES.
A Pittsburg Chemist Discusses Its Nature
and Properties.
PROBLEMS FOR SCIENTISTS TO SOLVE

and the practical uses to which it may be
| put. In view of this fact the following pa
per upon the subject, from the pen of James
Todd, chemist of this city, can scarcely
fail to be of general interest:
| Since Wohler,. in 1928, first obtained
| aluminium in the metallic state probably
sno other of the 60 odd elements has been ac-
| corded such large amount OF attention,
both by scientists and the general public.
| For, despite the almost insurmountable diff
| fculties which surround the correct solu-
ton of the sproblem of cheap aluminium,
there are always plenty of sanguine inyesti-
| gators to plunge headlong into the thickest
of the fray; and it seems to be a well-estab-
lished fact that the less they under
stand of the sciences which contains
| the answer to these queries, the more ex-
| travagant are their assertions. 1t therefore
requires very careful sitting to obtain
facts from the great mass of unreliable in
formation which is continually thrust upon
us; as, on the one hand. we find the metal
credited with all the virtues which can or
cannot be ascribed to any metal, while on
the other, we find those who not only de-
prive it OF all these good qualities, but also
| freely attribute to it many bad ones.
Its true value undoubtedly lies between
the lines thus laid out and then we must 60
for our facts. The result is that we find
ourselves in possession of a metal of silver
white color, OF about one-third the weight
of iron and somewhat less than the strength
of the latter, and with many of the most
valuable properties known to exist in
metals, together with lack of some equally
valuable ones common to some
other metals. For example, we can
readily melt it, but we can
not successfully cast it; we can roll and
hammer it into the thinnest of sheets and
foil and in this respect it shares the prop
! critics of the noble metals, but we cannot
weld it and it is only with difficulty that
we can solder it. Yet, altogether, we have
truly valuable metal and one in which
| many of the present difficulties will be re-
| moved as we become better acquainted with
| it. At present undoubtedly its worst faults
are the difficulty OF reducing it to the metal
| lie state and its almost uncomfortable afin-
| ity for other elements, which are allied
| with it in nature and which form chemical
| combinations with it when in the metallic
state, the most notable of which are oxygen,
iron and silicon.
THE METAL ABUNDANT.
In the combination of aluminium with
oxygen we can only separate the two ele-
ments either by bringing the electric cur
| rent to our aid, or by series of roundabout
| chemical processes which are invariably
| expensive and unsatisfactory. So far the
best results have been obtained by the re-
| duction of the metal by electricity, but
| many good authorities believe that the re-
| duction will yet be effected by heat in con-
nection with an ordinary reducing agent.
| Should this ever prove to be TACT, then
| aluminium will take its right place as a
useful and abundant metal, in the arts and
| sciences; for undoubtedly some of its valua-
| Bile properties are not possessed by any other
| metals. There need be no lack of a supply
| for about one-half of the whole earth is
| formed of aluminium.
Among its best properties are the very
| unusual combination lightness, strength and
its great tendency to resist oxidation. 1t
would undoubtedly be of great advantage to
have sheathing Tor our vessels that would
| combine more than double the strength with
less than the weight of our best steel plates,
and would never be attacked by either the
air or sea water. But this is only vague
hope of the future, as we cannot afford to
pay S. a pound for armor plates however
good their properties may be.
To the French belongs the credit of de-
veloping the aluminium industry, which
has been successfully carried on in their
country since Deville, in 1854, succeeded in
obtaining this metal really pure. Numer-
Gus attempts made in other countries have,
until quite recently, proved failures. Per-
haps the fact that Napoleon III took great
deal OF interest in Deville's efforts to estab-
lish the industry on a commercial basis and
aided him literally, had much to do with
the success of the business in France, where
it has steadily increased until at the present
time the French aluminium is known all
over the world. 1t is used quite extensively
in certain trades, notably in the hammering
of foil, which has almost entirely taken the
place of silver foil, as it is cheaper and
m och superior to the latter. 1t also
forms parts of scientific instruments, where
combination of strength and lightness are
requisite. But as the French methods of
extracting it are of the most expensive, as a
consequence the uses to which the metal can
be put are much restricted.
THE GREAT ADVANCES
which have been made during the last few
years toward producing the metal at rea-
sonable price have been mainly due to the
periectinr Of the methods Of generating cleo /
tricity. By far the most satisfactory results
have been reSched by the methods which de-
pend upon this agent as the reducing power,
and strenuous efforts are being made to per-
feet the application of electricity to this use.
Much has already been done in this line and
there are good grounds to. hope that much
more will be accomplished ere long. In this
direction the greatest success has been at
tanned by the "Alumnum and Magnesium
Fabrik," f" who, during the last three years,
have developed the industry to such an ex
tent that they now have works on the out
skirts of Bremen, Germany, covering some
three acres of ground and representing an
outlay of about 100000 in buildings and
machinery. They are now making more
aluminium than all other manufacturers
together, and are filling contracts in En-
gland, Russia and Germany, which call for
tons of the metal.
Undoubtedly the true value Of aluminium
is now and ever will he in its combinations
with other metals, as here we have an ele-
ment which, in the liquid state, has the
properties of an acid and is capable as such |
of forming chemical combinations with the
greater number of our metals, giving, as a
result, properties which have never before
been done in this manner. The most notable
ofthese properties are the heat generated by
the chemical combination Of the metals, the !
density, uniformity and strength obtained.
and the great tendency to resist oxidation,
as consequence of which the alloys are re-
markable for their non-tarnishable proper
ties-a virtue which cannot we'll be over es-
timated.
ITS MANIFOLD USES.
Properly introduced into castings of iron