COBALT METAL

Cobalt is hidden in the substances and objects we use every day. It is used prominently in batteries, blue paint and many medical practices. We have been using it for thousands of years but it did not get the respect it deserved until the 18th century. This element, consisting of 27 protons and electrons, is established in the periodic table along with other transition elements between iron and nickel. Transition elements are those that have the properties of the front and rear group elements and act as a bridge between the two groups. Interesting fact about cobalt metal are :- 

1. Pure cobalt is not found in natural form on Earth – we can find cobalt anywhere – in soil, in minerals, even in the crust of the foothills of the seas, but it is always present in other elements such as nickel, copper, iron or arsenic. Along with the brightly colored sindoori mineral salts are found in the form of erythrite. It is obtained as a byproduct of mining while removing other metals. In its pure form it resembles a shining gray metal
2. Cobalt is not a rare metal but is valuable – Cobalt is very common metal but it has been included in the list of rare materials by the European Union as there are very few places on earth from where it can be extracted by mining in large quantities. Its only major mine in the world is in Morocco, from which only cobalt is extracted.
3. Cobalt is named after a demonic character – many centuries ago miners in the mountains of Germany used to sorely throw some ores to obtain silver and copper. During this work, poisonous gases were released from the rocks, which made them sick and sometimes even died. They blame this on a mythical character, Kobold, who was famous in legends as a demonic force residing in Hades. Although the arsenic present in them was behind the gas and smoke coming out of the ores, but when the cobalt also started getting from those ores, the old name was associated with this metal.
4. Cobalt was obtained in pure form in the 18th century – During 1730, Swedish chemist George Brandt identified and refined cobalt into an ore of arsenic. Some 50 years later, another Swedish chemist, Torbern Bergman, testified that the metal that Brand obtained was an element. It would be important to know here that our understanding of the elements was very limited in those days and they were not presented in any meaningful table.
5. Cobalt produces a very beautiful dark blue color – People have been using cobalt-containing pigments since the third century BCE to add a dark blue color to the decoration. The Iranians used it to create beautiful necklaces. For thousands of years, artisans from Egypt to China used its minerals to give the glass a blue color. For a long time people kept believing that this blue color was due to the bismuth element because information about cobalt was not available.
6. But cobalt does not produce only blue color – the famous blue color of cobalt is due to its compound cobalt aluminate. Cobalt compounds, when combined with other elements, produce a variety of colors. Cobalt phosphate gives violet color. Cobalt oxide gives a beautiful green color when combined with zinc oxide.
7. We make powerful magnets and super-alloys with cobalt – Cobalt is included in some elements which are called ferromagnetic. This means that it exhibits magnetic properties in the presence of an external magnetic field. Cobalt can hold magnetism even at very high temperatures, which can cause it to be used in generators and hard-drives. Cobalt, when mixed with certain metals, forms alloys called superalloys. These super-alloys maintain their strength even at very high temperatures and pressures. Due to this property they are used in the manufacture of jet engines. This super-alloy can also be found in any rechargeable battery in our house.
8. Cobalt can replace precious metals in industries – Yale University chemist Patrick Holland is researching the possibility of using cobalt in place of rare and valuable metals in industry. These metals are used as catalysts in industries because they increase the intensity of reactions. They are used in making adhesives, lubricants, medicines etc. These metals like platinum and iridium are good catalysts but very expensive and rare. They also have some adverse effects on the human body. This is the reason that scientists are trying to use metals like iron, nickel and cobalt in their place. These three metals can make the work of industries easier in future.
9. Modern medical science is incomplete without cobalt – cobalt metal has an important place in the center of the chemical composition of vitamin B12. That is why it is called cobalamin. This vitamin helps in the formation of red blood cells and DNA and keeps our nervous system healthy. Vitamin B12 is special in the case that it is the only vitamin that contains the atom of the metal element (cobalt). To measure the level of vitamin B12 in patients, doctors use a version of vitamin B12 in which the cobalt atom is replaced with the isotope of radioactive cobalt. Cancerians and technicians use radiation emitted from cobalt isotopes in some cancer therapies. This radiation is also used in sterilizing medical and surgical tools. These days cobalt alloys are also being used to make fake bones of the hip and knees.