Cobalt! Co
By: Joey
Discovery
Cobalt was discovered by George Brandt in 1735 in Sweden. He had been successfully trying to prove that the blue color of glass was because of a new element, cobalt, and not bismuth, since the two are commonly found in the same place. The name cobalt comes from the German word "kobald" which means "goblin" or evil spirit.
Uses of Cobalt
Cobalt usually combines with the elements iron and nickel because of their metallic state and their ability to be a magnet. In our everyday life, Cobalt is used in batteries as well as rechargeable batteries.
Cobalt in Nature
Most of the cobalt on earth is naturally found in the earth's core, due to the element iron being present in the earth's core as well. Cobalt salts in small amounts are essential to many life forms, including humans. It is at the core of a vitamin called vitamin-B12. Grazing animals do not to do well in areas where there is little cobalt in the soil. Cobalt is not found as the free metal. There are a number of important ores from Canada, Morocco, and Zaire. Meteorites often contain cobalt.
Video on Cobalt!
Cobalt - Periodic Table of Videos
References
Cobalt. (2014). Retrieved December 18, 2014, from GensonScience website: http://www.gensonscience.wikispaces.com
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britanicca. (2014). George Brandt. In Encyclopedia Britanicca. Retrieved December 17, 2014, from http://www.britanicca.com
Periodic Videos. (2008, June 26). Cobalt - Periodic Table of Videos [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ljxByu9ng
Winter, M. (2015). Cobalt: the essentials. Retrieved December 17, 2014, from WebElements website: http://www.webelements.com