History

Aluminum-metal aluminum that is, is a human invention. Metal Aluminum was first isolated by Hans Christian Oersted in 1825 who reacted aluminium chloride (AlCl₃) with potassium amalgam, an alloy of potassium and mercury. A bar of aluminum, the new precious metal, was exhibited at the Paris 1855 Exhibition. Read more about the discovery of the metal aluminum

Geology

Aluminum is one of the eight most abundant elements on earth. Those elements are Oxygen, Silicon, Aluminum, Iron, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium. Together those 8 elements form 98% of the earth crust.

Table 1: The eight most common elements of the earth crust by weight.

In nature aluminum does not exist as a metal (Ex).

In nature aluminum exists only combined to other elements, forming most frequently hydroxydes (L), sulfates (L), silicates (L) . In many silicates (Ex) Si⁴⁺ ions are replaced by Al³⁺ ions within the silicate tetrahedral. To maintain charge balance, an extra cation, such as K⁺, must accompany each of those substitutions.

One quarter substitution of the minerals Si⁴⁺ ions by Al³⁺ ions results in Muscovite (Ex) :
KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀)(OH)₂.

Up to half substitution of the minerals Si⁴⁺ ions by A³⁺ ions results in feldspar (Ex) with Na⁺, K⁺, or Ca²⁺ ions to compensate the extra negative charges.

Aluminum compounds in Food

Since Aluminum is the third most abundant element in the earth's crust, it should not come as a surprise that Aluminum is found in all plants and living organisms. All food contains Aluminum. Table two presents a list of usual food with their aluminum content expressed in micrograms of elemental aluminum per one hundred grams of edible product.

Again:
In food (like in nature) aluminum does not exist as metal. In food aluminum is part of aluminum sulfate or aluminum oxide or other totally harmless compounds.

Table 2: Aluminum content of some food in micrograms per 100 grams of edible product Source: Table of Trace Element Contents in Japanese Foodstuffs

Aluminum in Drinking Water

Alum (aluminum sulfate) is most widely used because it is effective, readily available, and relatively inexpensive. Aluminum sulfate in water produces Aluminum hydroxide (L), a gelatinous insoluble compound that sinks slowly removing waterborne micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) and other small particles.

However, under some circumstances, or if not used properly, aluminum compounds used in water treatment can result in residual aluminum (metal) in finished drinking water.

The EPA has set the maximum acceptable level of aluminum (metal) in freshwater at 750 micrograms par liter

Aluminum Compounds in Pharmaceuticals

Aluminum Hydroxide (an aluminum compound) is the active component of antacid and antiflatulent products.

Table 3 lists the brand names of some pharmaceuticals and their aluminum hydroxide content per tablet or per Tsp. The table also indicates (in the last column to the right) the daily exposure to aluminum hydroxide of someone following the recommendations of the pharmaceutical companies.

Table 3: Source: Physicians' Desk Reference, 1998

Aluminum Compounds in Nutraceuticals

Since all food contains harmless aluminum compounds, nutraceuticals (L) and particularly natural plant derived nutraceuticals may also contain harmless aluminum compounds.

As an example, the label on the product Majestic Earth from the company Youngevity lists Aluminum sulfate as an ingredient. The analysis of the product shows that one serving of one fl.oz. of Majestic Earth contains 132 mg of aluminum sulfate. This quantity of aluminum compound in one serving of one fl.oz. of the product Majestic Earth is less than 30% of the average aluminum compound content of one antacid tablet The recommended daily dose for Majestic Earth -- two fl. oz per day -- contains about 20 times less aluminum compounds than the average recommended daily dose of an antacid.

Table 4: Comparison of the average aluminum compounds in antacids and in Majestic Earth

Lexicon of the Technical Terms

Silicates
The silicates are the largest, the most interesting and the most complicated class of minerals by far. Approximately 30% of all minerals are silicates and some geologists estimate that 90% of the Earth's crust is made up of silicates. Since silicates contain mainly oxygen and silicon -- the two most abundant elements in the earth's crust -- silicates abundance is no real surprise. [ Back to text ]

Aluminum hydroxide is a compound containing aluminum, oxygen and hydrogen. Aluminum hydroxide comes in various combinations of aluminum with oxygen and hydrogen. The pH of the solution determines the type of the combination of the compound and its solubility. [ Back to text ]

Aluminum sulfate is a compound containing aluminum, oxygen and sulfur.