| Show ALUMINUM ABUNDANT aluminum is the most abundant of all the metals in the form of its oxide it constitutes about 15 per cent of the earths crust according to the united states geological survey yet until recent years it was a curiosity there were only a few thousand pounds in existence and its value was 14 or 15 a pound within a generation it has become very useful now selling at about 20 cents a pound the entry of aluminum into the field of useful metals came with the discovery that it could be extracted from the mineral bauxite a substance thi this s mineral itself is by no means plentiful but known deposits are sufficient to make aluminum an important competitor of certain metals such as copper and tin in a good many lines of work already aluminum has displaced steel in certain classes of construction where strength is required in combination with extreme lightness s such uch as in tile the manufacture of flying machines an alloy known as alu mill containing about 95 per cent of aluminum is claimed to have qualities as good as those of good bessemer steel although it is only one third as heavy this allow possesses great hardness when annealed and its melting point is above 1200 degrees IF the great future of aluminum lies in the perfection of a process whereby it can be commercially extracted from tile the unlimited deposits of nina rich clays clay and rocks which exist in all parts of the world the day which shall yield really cheap aluminum holds out boundless possibilities bili ties the chemist or investigator who 1110 can devise the needed process of extra extraction etiole will not be forgotten by succeeding generations i |
