Science Fact Finder | Metals and Other Materials - Which Metallic Element Is The Most Abundant?

Which metallic element is the most abundant?

Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element on the surface of the Earth. This light metal comprises more than 8 percent of the Earth's crust. It is also the most abundant metallic element on the surface of the moon.

Aluminum does not exist in a pure form in nature. It is always found in mineral forms, in combination with oxygen, sand, iron, titanium, clay, or other substances. The principal ore of aluminum is a rock called bauxite (aluminum hydroxide). Nearly all rocks, particularly igneous rocks (rocks of volcanic origin), contain some aluminum in the form of aluminosilicate (aluminum plus silicon dioxide) minerals.

In 1854, French chemist (a scientist who specializes in the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter) Sainte-Claire Deville (1818-1881), in 1854, was the first to derive pure aluminum metal. With funding from French...

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