IT'S ELEMENTAL!
The initiative and drive of Hall remain impressive. For an amateur scientist to doggedly pursue a scientific problem of such magnitude, and ultimately succeed in such an endeavor, is almost unimaginable. GREGORY H. R O B I N S O N , T H E U N I V E R S I T Y OF GEORGIA Records indicate that Jewett was a counselor, mentor, adviser, and friend to Hall. ERHAPS MORE THAN ALL OTHALUMINUM AT A GLANCE Furthermore,Jewett often provided mateers, the 13th element on the perials and laboratory space to the budding riodic table is one of utter conName: From Latin alumen, alum. entrepreneur. Jewett, a modest man by all trasts. Although once highly Atomic mass: 26.98. ~ accounts, apparently was not interested in valued as a "precious metal," the History: Discovered in 1825 by Danish sharing the praise, fame, or financial reprice of a kilogram of this element today chemist Hans Christian Oersted. wards that would soon befall his student. As is considerably less than one's morning cup Occurrence: Aluminum is the most Oberlin College's Norman C. Craig has so ofgourmet coffee; alloys of this element are abundant metal in Earth's crust, but it elegantly stated,Jewett was "content to reoften dense and durable, yet the pure eleis not found free in nature. Today, port to his Ydle classmates that his greatest ment is a light and soft metal; although this nearly all of the world's aluminum is discovery was the discovery of a man— element is reasonably reactive, it is also obtained by isolation from aluminum CharkslML"[Chem.Heritage, 15,36(1997)}. readily passivated, rendering it essentially oxide derived from bauxite ore. In my mind, theJewett-Hall relationship rustproof. Appearance: Silvery white, lightweight epitomizes the idyllic professor-student dyEven its position on the periodic table— metal. namic. It is this relationship that I envision gracefully residing between the only nonBehavior: Soft, nonmagnetic, and nonwhen I am working with students: a synermetallic element of group 13, boron, and sparking. Pure aluminum is easily gistic pursuit of the scientific unknown. To the oddly mercurial metal of gallium—is formed, machined, and cast, and it can be sure, the stakes are much lower in my perhaps indicative of how extraordinary elbe alloyed with a variety of metals. It is day-to-day struggles in the laboratory The ement 13 is. There is not even complete also a good conductor of electricity and problems that my students and I face are agreement on the spelling and pronunciaan excellent reflector of radiation. The much smaller in magnitude, and any potention: Americans typically employ aluminum, metal is generally nontoxic but can be tial immediate impact is often ambiguous. while significant portions of the remaining harmful when ingested. Nonetheless, the Jewett-Hall relationEnglish-speaking world prefer aluminium. Uses: Used to make cans, kegs, wrapship drives me in an oddly personal manner Aluminum, like most elements, has its share ping foil, and household utensils. It has as I strive to improve my teaching skills and ofinteresting trivia: For example, a 2.73-kg numerous applications in the vehicle, hone my research capabilities. Might my pyramid of "precious" 1884 aluminum metaircraft, and construction industries. perspective on this relationship be a rather al sits atop the Washington Monument. naive interpretation? Almost certainly Is While Hans Christian Oersted is acthis simply an outdated commentary on the knowledged as the first to isolate aluminum the relationship between Frank Fanning contemporary professor-student dynamic? in 1825 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the em- Jewett and Hall. Most clearly Could this all be little more inent German chemist Friedrich Wohler is Jewett, educated at Yale University in than a "nonprofessorial" waste of chemistry and mineralogy had a generally regarded as the first to secure a time? Absolutely not! The propassion for travel. Indeed, he pure sample of the element by chemical fessor-student dynamic represtudied briefly at Universitat reduction in 1827 The intriguing intersents much ofwhat I find uniqueGottingen, spending time in the national tale ofthe discovery ofthe ecoly attractive in academia. I have laboratory of Wohler. In 1880, nomical production ofaluminum inobserved parallels to the Jewettthe 3 6-year-old Jewett was apdependendy by two young men, Hall relationship in athletics: In pointed professor of chemthe American Charles M. Hall tennis, it is that perfecdy executistry and mineralogy at Oberand the Frenchman Paul L. T ed service ace down the middle lin College. Thus, the stage Heroult, via electrolysis of aluTHIS ELEMENT of the court; in basketball, it is was set for the well-traveled BROUGHT TO mina dissolved in cryolite, is that gracefully arching jumpshot YOU BY professor and the prodigious well documented. Certainly the CR0MPT0N from the corner, hitting "nothing student. Jewett is the (most aluminum industry as we know but net"; in golf, it is that splendid often) anonymous "profes it today is due to the creative tee shot on the par 5,18th hole—you know, sor" at Oberlin who opined to his genius of Hall and Heroult. My that one shot that keeps bringing you back chemistry class, where Hall was in atfascination with aluminum, time and time again. tendance, that great financial rewards however, has less to do with the awaited the person who could devise actual element and more with an economical means to produce aluGregory H. Robinson is a distinguished reminum metal from its ubiquitous ore. H O L D I N G U P Strong but search professor of chemistry at the University of The role of Jewett in Hall's life proved lightweight aluminum Georgia. His research interests, the organometalcrucial in the seminal discovery that alloys are used in lic chemistry of the main-group metals, are tempered would ultimately spawn the Aluconstruction, such as the by his recent obsession with golf. The author acminum Co. of America, Alcoa (2002 knowledges the gracious assistance of Norman C. scaffolding for the revenues of $20.3 billion), and the Washington Monument's Craig (Oberlin College) and RichardK. Hill (Uniworldwide aluminum industry 1999 renovation. versity of Georgia) with this essay.
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