Cobalt is also used as a blue coloring agent in paints, inks, glass, ceramics, and even cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin that can occur when people come into contact with a substance to which they are allergic. On the periodic table, cobalt can be found among the d-block elements, transition metals . Significance and Uses. Importance and uses of cobalt(II) sulphate (CoSO4.7H2O) check_circle Expert Answer. One of cobalt’s main applications right now is in rechargeable batteries of all kinds. Cobalt is a silvery gray metal that has diverse uses based on certain key properties, including ferromagnetism, hardness and wear-resistance when alloyed with other metals, low thermal and electrical conductivity, high melting point, multiple valences, and production of intense blue colors when combined with silica. Transition metals = Used in Alloys Pottery Cobalt is used in both glazes and the manufacture of pottery, ceramics, and even the tiles on your roof. The following uses for cobalt are gathered from a number of sources as well as from anecdotal comments. It was not until 1775 that pure nickel was produced by Torbern Bergman and this confirmed its elemental nature. Cobalt is used for a wide range of applications including: The manufacture of super-alloys, the primary application of cobalt produced today. balt (kō′bôlt′) n. Symbol Co A hard, brittle metallic element, found associated with nickel, silver, lead, copper, and iron ores and resembling nickel and iron in appearance. It’s best to take cobalt in vitamin B-12. This is the case with pernicious anemia. Chinese pottery from Tang (600-900 AD) and Ming dynasties (1350-1650 AD) also contained blue colours made from cobalt-containing minerals. 60 Co isotope used as radioactive tracer for the production of gamma rays. Cobalt is widely used in batteries and in electroplating. Some common forms of cobalt include cobalt-60 and cobalt chloride. Cobalt is also used to make alloys for jet engines and gas turbines, magnetic steels and some types of stainless steels. Cobalt salts have been used for centuries to produce brilliant and permanent blue colors in porcelain, glass, pottery, tiles, and enamels. Cobalt-60 is also used in blast furnaces to determine times and to quantify income to measure the furnace performance. Cobalt-60, radioactive isotope of cobalt used in industry and medicine. Cobalt-60 is a widely used radioactive material. Cobalt is used in alloys for aircraft engine parts and in alloys with corrosion/wear resistant uses. Cobalt-60, a radioactive isotope of cobalt, is an important source of gamma rays and is used to treat some forms of cancer and as a medical tracer. Much of it comes from Congo, where men, women, and children endure dangerous and unhealthy conditions to … Therefore, exposures to gamma radiation from cobalt-60 result in an increased risk of cancer. Approximately 10,000 people occupied these buildings during a 9–20 year period. It is used chiefly for magnetic alloys, high-temperature alloys, and in the form of its salts for blue glass and ceramic pigments. Uses of cobalt. Because it emits such strong gamma rays, external exposure to cobalt-60 is also considered a significant threat. It is produced by irradiating the stable isotope cobalt-59 with neutrons in a nuclear reactor. Median response time is 34 minutes and … Anemia is a main cause of a cobalt deficiency. Radioactive 60 Co is used in the treatment of cancer. Trace Element Your body actually needs cobalt to survive. All ionizing radiation, including that of cobalt-60, is known to cause cancer. It is also is specifically made for use in gamma irradiation plants – it is not a waste product of nuclear power plants. This is a gamma sterilization process which uses Cobalt 60 radiation to kill microorganisms on a variety of different products. Cobalt looks set to become one of the most important commodities in delivering the electric vehicle revolution – thanks to rising demand for the metal in the batteries that power them. It is used to produce many types of alloys including stainless steel. I would be delighted to receive corrections as well as additional referenced uses. How was it discovered? Cobalt. Cobalt is one of those often-neglected metals with a host of uses, interesting facts, and dynamic properties. Unlike lithium, much of cobalt is found in one place, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC – 59 per cent of the world's supply is sourced from that country. Hardmetals, in which cobalt is used as a binding material, consume roughly 12% of total cobalt. Superalloys, which are used to make parts for gas turbine engines, are another major use for cobalt. Cobalt chloride is used in the T.R.U.E. Cobalt is a hard, lustrous, grey metal with a high melting point (1493°C). Cobalt-60 is the longest-lived isotope of cobalt, with a half-life of 5.27 years. Cobalt is a metal. Check out a sample Q&A here. Uncontrolled disposal of 60 Co in scrap metal is responsible for the radioactivity found in several iron-based products. Around 1983, construction was finished of 1700 apartments in Taiwan which were built with steel contaminated with cobalt-60. The latter contains cobalt in both +2 and +3 oxidation states and constitutes up to 40 percent of the commercial cobalt oxide used in the manufacture of ceramics, glass, and enamel and in the preparation of catalysts and cobalt metal powder. Compounds of cobalt gives deep blue color to glass ceramics and inks. Cobalt-60 is used as the radiation source in Gamma Knife equipment that enables non-surgical treatment of brain tumours. Cobalt is also used to make airbags in In the United States, it is most commonly used as part of superalloys. Half the World's Cobalt is Used for Rechargeable Batteries. Symptoms can include numbness, fatigue and tingling in your hand and feet. In addition, increasing the proportion of nickel leaves the battery less thermally stable, a property that may be counterbalanced by manganese, a mineral that has no exothermic tendency. These include cemented carbides and diamond tools that are used in cutting applications and mining tools. By far, the biggest producer of cobalt is Congo, followed by Canada, China, Russia and Zambia. The T.R.U.E. Cobalt is used to build lithium-ion batteries found in mobile technology. Cobalt (Co) is a metal used in numerous diverse commercial, industrial, and military applications, many of which are strategic and critical. Cobalt has a wide range of applications and is often used in many industrial processes. Cobalt-60 is used in the inspection of materials Want to see the step-by-step answer? A solution of the chloride is used as a sympathetic ink. The rechargeable lithium ion batteries in your smartphone, tablet and electric vehicle run, at least in part, on cobalt. Despite some researchers attempting to find a NMC battery with zero cobalt composition, Gao estimates that at least 10% cobalt must be used in battery … Cobalt assets. Atomic radius, non-bonded Half of the distance between two unbonded atoms of the same element when the electrostatic forces are balanced. Cobalt was discovered by Swedish chemist George Brandt in 1735. On a global basis, the leading use of cobalt is in rechargeable battery electrodes. In cobalt-60 therapy, cobalt-60-generated gamma radiation is used to destroy tumors. If you have a cobalt deficiency, this also means you have a vitamin B-12 deficiency. These substances, which include foods, plant pollens and metals, are called allergens. Cobalt is primarily used in the manufacturing of magnets. Properties, sources and uses of the element cobalt. Cobalt-60 has a half-life of 5.27 years and decays into nickel-60 through beta decay. It is the principal ingredient in Sevre's and Thenard's blue. The famed "cobalt blue" is actually the result of the compound cobalt aluminate. Other applications for cobalt include batteries, industrial catalysts, electroplating, and powerful magnets. Cobalt is a mineral that doesn’t get enough attention despite its ability to stimulate systemic antioxidant and anti-inflammatory processes, according to two American researchers. These super-alloys are, in turn, used in turbine blades for jet aircraft engines and gas turbines; medical orthopedic implants like hip and knee replacements; and permanent magnets. See Answer. Want to see this answer and more? Glossary. Cobalt has been used to colour pottery and glass for at least 2600 years evidenced by cobalt-containing glazes having been found in Ancient Egyptian tombs. It is also used to prepare wear resistant and high strength alloys. It is also used as a super alloy in aircraft engines, and in cemented carbides, which are often used as hard cutting surfaces or drill bits. Currently, the traditional areas of consumption and application of cobalt are mainly battery materials, super heat-resistant alloys, tool steels, hard alloys, magnetic materials; cobalt in the form of compounds is mainly used as catalysts, desiccants, reagents, pigments and dyes. In industry Cobalt-60 is used for industrial radiography, a form of non-destructive testing; in well logging, particularly in the oil exploration industry; and in the printing industry to monitor the ˚ow of inks and thickness of paper. It is one of many trace elements needed in your diet. Cobalt is an element used to make steel. By integrating cobalt into a Cobalt is one of the key ingredients, along with other metals like lithium, nickel and manganese, inside these fast-charging, long-lasting batteries that power our digital lives. Many chemists thought it was an alloy of cobalt, arsenic, iron and copper – these elements were present as trace contaminants. Cobalt salts are used to impart blue and green colors in glass and ceramics. Magnets account for 7% of cobalt metal demand and are used … Cobalt is used in many alloys (superalloys for parts in gas turbine aircrafr engines, corrosion resistant alloys, high-speed steels, cemented carbides), in magents and magnetic recording media, as catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries, as drying agents for paints and inks. Cobalt-60 is a beta-emitting radioactive isotope of cobalt-59. Foods high in vitamin B-12 are the only source of cobalt used by the body. Cobalt uses: Rechargeable batteries. * See Answer *Response times vary by subject and question complexity. Cobalt blue is a vivid color used in artwork. Unless you’re a geologist or an electrical engineer, you’d be forgiven for never giving this metal much thought. 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