Aluminum

—A metal ọf a silvery white color; much used for electrical conductors, etc., on account of its lightne , also in alloys with coppei to form a tenacious noncorrodible bronze. It abounds in nature in the form of hydrates and silicates, the latter comprising the various clays, but is commercially prepared by the aid of electricity from cryolite and bauxite. The metal is not corroded by atmospheric influences or fresh water, also resisting nitric acid, but is decomposed by alkalis, in sea water, and by dilute sulphuric acid: it is malleable, ductile and sonorous, also a good conductor of heat and electricity. e. —A beautiful golden ze, composed of 90 parts cop aluminum. Its tenacity nds upon the purity of the copch it is alloyed. Aluminum are free from corrosion, hence, they are suitable for guy wires in a system of overhead construction, but the low conductivity of bronze excludes them from use as line wires.