Posted on 10/17/2009 9:18:35 AM PDT by Willie Green
In the days before electrolysis, the metal could only be extracted from its ore, bauxite, by a process involving pure sodium; itself an exceptionally rare and expensive metal.
As a result, he would tell us, the king of France kept two sets of cutlery for dinner: everyday fare and minor functionaries dined with golden knives and forks, whereas for special occasions and particularly honoured guests, the aluminium would be brought out.
It is a measure of how times change that today some 36 million tonnes of aluminium are produced globally every year, making it abundant enough to be practically disposable.
Of course, the particular philosopher’s stone that transformed this once precious metal into base is nothing more spectacular than electricity – lots of it.
Given that bauxite is more portable than power, which must be generated from locally installed capacity, it follows that the region with the cheapest energy was always destined to take the lead in aluminium production.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenational.ae ...
Anyway, his opening anecdote struck me as humorous, but factually incorrect.
The French Monarchy ended in 1793, with the famous beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
But Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville didn't invent the process for extracting aluminum from bauxite with sodium until 1855.
So the lesson for Oliver Cornock is clear: next time you use an anecdote, check your facts first. You never know when someone with a little extra time on their hands might be checking up on you!!!
Only in its pure metallic form is sodium rare. It is, otherwise, a plentiful element. 50 quadrillion tons of salt in the oceans represents most of the planet's supply.
Sodium is so chemically active that it cannot exist, for long, as a free element unless it is kept from exposure to air, water, etc. Because it is a much more active element than aluminum, it can replace it in aluminum compounds and thus free the metal.
Bad guys use metallic sodium for IED’s also....boom when properly applied. .
The French Monarchy ended in 1793, with the famous beheading of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. But Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville didn't invent the process for extracting aluminum from bauxite with sodium until 1855.
It turns out that Napoleon III was made Emperor of France in 1852 and held this position until 1870 under the Second French Empire. It seems reasonable that he may have had some utensils made from the newly available aluminum.
Sodium is so chemically active that it cannot exist, for long, as a free element unless it is kept from exposure to air, water, etc.
Chlorine is a pretty nasty element in it's pure form as well.
We are actually pretty lucky to have enough sodium on this planet to keep all that chlorine out of the atmosphere.
It seems reasonable that he may have had some utensils made from the newly available aluminum.
Yes, the new and exotic material would certainly impress the political dignitaries of the age.
Here in the United States, we have our own historical trivia regarding this marvelous metal:
A History of the Aluminum Cap of the Washington Monument
Excerpt:
Author's Note: When dealing with historical numbers involving monetary units, it is well to give the reader a perspective about the relationship to current times; it is insufficient to use the financial term inflation adjusted. The author prefers to compare the 1884 price of aluminum of $1 per ounce ($16 per pound) to the fact that in 1884 the wage of a laborer on the Washington Monument was $1 per day, and the workday was typically 10 hours or greater in length. Thus, the cost of one ounce of aluminum was equivalent to a full day's work. The highest skilled craftsman on the monument project was paid $2 per day.
Aluminum was very expensive stuff back then.
Nowadays, it's a challenge just to get homeless people and vagrants to pick up aluminum cans from the litter and turn 'em in for cash.
YOu are correct. Napoleon III had aluminum plates for special occasions, not aluminum cutlery. He was of course an Emperor, not a King.
The Washington Monument, built in the 1880s, is tipped with aluminum.
Sorry bout that. Responded before reading all the way down.
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