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Symmary of properties (Co) Atomic weight 58.933194(4) Discoverer (year) Brandt, Georg (1735) Natural form metallic solid (hexagonal) Electron configuration 3 d 7 4 s 2 M.p. These spectra are usefull to identify the elements present in a sample.
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This results in a characteristic emission line in the spectra (which corresponds to specific wavelengths of light). When an electron in an atom is excited to a higher energy level, it can de-excite by emitting a photon of light with an energy equal to the difference between the two levels. The orbitals are filled in a specific order, starting with the lowest energy orbital and working up.Įach element in the periodic table presents its own unique emission spectra, which is determined by the energy levels of its electrons. In the electron configuration notation, the letters "s", "p", "d", and "f" represent the different types of atomic orbitals, and the superscripts indicate the number of electrons in each orbital. The electron configuration of an element describes the arrangement of electrons in the atoms of that element, and be used to predict its chemical properties and reactivity. Thus, cobalt blue paints and dyes are formed by reacting aluminum with cobalt oxide. It is also used in the production of magnets and other magnetic materials. Cobalt can also produce an intense shade of blue. This isotope is widely used to irradiate food, a process by which food is exposed to a small dose of radiation to kill harmful germs.Ĭobalt has many important uses, including in the production of cobalt alloys, which are used in the aerospace, defense, and other industries. In addition, a radioactive isotope of cobalt, called cobalt-60, is produced in nuclear reactors. The strongest permanent magnets are made of a strong alloy of cobalt, nickel, and aluminum, called alnico. Cobalt is one of the few elements that can be used to make a permanent magnet.
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Alloys containing cobalt are used in jet engine blades and in artificial joints, such as hip and knee joints. Pure cobalt is added to steel and other alloys to make them stronger. Thus, they became ill when they tried to purify them, due to the arsenic gas released in the process. Medieval German miners often mistook cobalt ores for precious metals. It is extracted from cobaltite through a process called roasting and reduction. It is a hard, lustrous, and silver-gray transition metal that is found in small amounts in many minerals, including cobaltite, which is the primary source of cobalt. Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27.
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