Aluminium
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Aluminium is a chemical element; it has symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. It has a great affinity towards oxygen, forming a protective layer of oxide on the surface when exposed to air. Aluminium visually resembles silver, both in its color and in its great ability to reflect light. It is soft, nonmagnetic, and ductile. It has one stable isotope, 27Al, which is highly abundant, making aluminium the twelfth-most common element in the universe. The radioactivity of 26Al, a more unstable isotope, leads to it being used in radiometric dating.
Bauxite, a major aluminium ore. The red-brown color is due to the presence of iron oxide minerals.
Friedrich Wöhler, the chemist who first thoroughly described metallic elemental aluminium
The statue of Anteros in Piccadilly Circus, London, was made in 1893 and is one of the first statues cast in aluminium.
Metal
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A metal is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typically ductile and malleable. These properties are the result of the metallic bond between the atoms or molecules of the metal.
Iron, shown here as fragments and a 1 cm3 cube, is an example of a chemical element that is a metal.
A metal in the form of a gravy boat made from stainless steel, an alloy largely composed of iron, carbon, and chromium
Gallium crystals
A metal rod with a hot-worked eyelet. Hot-working exploits the capacity of metal to be plastically deformed.