History of Aluminum
The ancient Romans and Greeks used aluminum in medicine as an binding, and in the dyeing process. In 1761 de Morveau came up with the name "alumine". In 1807, a man named Davy came up with the name alumium for the metal, which was not known of at that time, and later agreed to change it to aluminum. Shortly after, the name aluminium was adopted by IUPAC to conform with the "ium" ending of most elements. Aluminium was first reacted in 1825 by Hans Christian Oersted who reacted aluminium chloride (AlCl3) with potassium amalgam (an alloy of potassium and mercury). Heating the aluminium amalgam under reduced pressure caused the mercury to boil away leaving aluminium metal.
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