Wikijunior:The Elements/Cobalt



General: Cobalt is a chemical element. Cobalt belongs to the transition metals category of elements on the periodic table. The Periodic Table arranges chemical elements into rows (periods) and columns (groups). Cobalt is number 27 on the table. Chemical elements are represented by symbols. The symbol for cobalt is Co.

What does it look, feel, taste, or smell like?
Cobalt appears solid with a silvery-grey luster and bluish tinge. It remains hard and brittle at room temperature and has a bluish-white color. It is one of the few elements that is naturally magnetic.

Cobalt and its compounds could be toxic, so touching or tasting would be unsafe.

Cobalt does not have a distinct smell. It is reported that the compound cobalt chloride smells like wet cardboard, and cobalt sulfate smells like rotten eggs.

Is it dangerous?
Although it is needed for good health, too much or too little cobalt in the body can cause health issues.

The heart, eyes, and skin can be harmed by prolonged exposure to cobalt. Lung problems can be caused by breathing cobalt dust.

Where did its name come from?
 Did You Know? The term cobalt comes from the German word kobold, meaning goblin. Medieval miners believed the kobolds caused toxic vapors to be released when cobalt ore was heated. Instead, the toxic vapors came from heating arsenic, which is commonly found with cobalt.
 * Cobalt has been used to color glass since the Bronze Age.
 * Cobalt is a ferromagnetic metal.

How was it discovered?
Georg Brandt, a Swedish chemist, discovered cobalt in 1735. He was interested in a blue pigment called smalt. It was used to color glass, ceramics, and pottery. It was known as blue sand in ceramics and royal blue in artists’ pigments. Smalt was sometimes known as powder blue when it was used for “bluing” linens to make them appear whiter.

People thought the element bismuth made the blue color of smalt. Brandt determined it was a different element not yet discovered that made the smalt blue. He found the new element and named it cobalt after the German word kobold. Brandt proved that cobalt was the element in smalt that made the blue coloring in glass, ceramics, and fabrics.

Cobalt was the first metal to be discovered that was not an ancient metal like iron, copper, or gold. Georg Brandt is recognized as the first person in history to discover a new metal.

Where is it found?
Cobalt occurs in very small quantities in air, water, food. soil, rocks, and plants. Cobalt is found in ores, minerals, and chemical compounds in the Earth's crust. Miners often find cobalt alongside copper, nickel, and other ores inside mines.

Cobalt ore deposits are found in China, Russia, and Africa. The United States imports cobalt from other countries.

Cobalt is a “critical raw material” because there are few places where it can be mined in large quantities. It is in very high demand all over the world.

What are its uses?
Cobalt has many uses in the areas of the arts, health, industry, and medicine. It is used in arts and crafts to make pigments of many colors for glass, ceramics, paints, and ink. It plays an important role in keeping the body healthy. It is used in making batteries, magnets, and airplane parts.