Cobalt

Cobalt is in group VIII of a secondary subgroup of the periodic system. Its atomic number is 27. The chemical element cobalt got its name from German Kobold - brownie, dwarf.

The simple substance cobalt is a silvery-white, slightly yellowish metal with a pinkish or bluish tint. It exists in two crystalline modifications: α -Co with a hexagonal close-packed lattice, β -Co with a face-centered cubic lattice .

Application area

In its pure form, cobalt is not used, but it acts as one of the elements in a number of different alloys .

Cobalt is used as alloying additives in the manufacture of steels and alloys with special properties and as a base in the manufacture of high-temperature alloys. Steels alloyed with cobalt have increased hardness, heat resistance and acid resistance .

From alloys using cobalt, a processing tool is created: drills, cutters, etc.

The magnetic properties of cobalt alloys are used in magnetic recording equipment, as well as in the cores of electric motors and transformers. For the manufacture of permanent magnets, an alloy containing about 50% cobalt, as well as vanadium or chromium, is sometimes used .

Cobalt is used as a catalyst for chemical reactions, for example, in the hydrogenation of fats and the synthesis of gasoline .

Lithium cobaltate is used as a highly efficient positive electrode for the production of lithium batteries .

Cobalt silicide is an excellent thermoelectric material, it allows the production of thermoelectric generators with high efficiency .

Radioactive cobalt-60 is used in medicine. ^60Co is also used as a fuel in radioisotope power sources .

Salts and oxides of cobalt are used for drying varnishes and oil paints, as well as for the manufacture of highly resistant enamels and paints .