cobalt

cobalt :: 3

"Prism, pay attention please."

I looked up to see my teacher, her arms crossed with a sour look on her face.

I always zone out without meaning to, and everyone around me takes it personally.

"Sorry, Ms. Phillis."

Snickers sounded around the class.
________________

"Where is it... Where is--"

My eyes latched on to just the words I was looking for.

"The Periodic Table of Elements."

A grabbed the book and ran over to one of the many secluded corners in the library.

I feasted on the book; drug my hands across the rough cover.

I finally found it. It's time to figure some things out.

I flipped to the table of contents, skimming through the many sections.

I found it.

My fingers hurriedly searched for the page number I was looking for.

The Element Cobalt
Atomic Number: 27
Atomic Weight: 58.933195
Melting Point: 1768 K (1495°C or 2723°F)
Boiling Point: 3200 K (2927°C or 5301°F)
Density: 8.86 grams per cubic centimeter
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Element Classification: Metal
Period Number: 4 Group Number: 9 Group Name: none

I took in all of the information, searching for hidden clues or missing facts. Sadly, the only thing I managed to discover was the basic info of the element.

My eyes wondered to the bottom of the page, where extra factoids lingered.

Cobalt's name originates from the German word for goblin or evil spirit, kobald. It also originates from the Greek word for mine, cobalos.

My heart skipped a beat.

"The German word for goblin or evil spirit."

Could this mean something? It's got to.

I believe I've discovered a missing puzzle piece.

I quickly scribbled down the sentence into my notebook, not caring for how sloppy my handwriting appeared.

No one is going to read it besides me anyways, right?

I saw another paragraph on the neighboring page.

"Although cobalt is used in electroplating to give objects an attractive surface that resists oxidation, it is more widely used to form alloys. Alnico, an alloy consisting of aluminum, nickel and cobalt is used to make powerful permanent magnets. Stellite alloys, which contain cobalt, chromium and tungsten, are used to make high-speed and high temperature cutting tools and dyes. Cobalt is also used to make alloys for jet engines and gas turbines, magnetic steels and some types of stainless steels."

All I can think to say after reading that paragraph is 'weird.'

Nonetheless, I made sure to copy that bit of information down into my notebook.

There was a little bit more of information on the page.

"Cobalt compounds have been used for centuries to color porcelain, glass, pottery, tile and enamel. Some of these compounds are known as: cobalt blue, ceruleum, new blue, smalt, cobalt yellow and cobalt green. In addition to being used as a dye, cobalt is also important to human nutrition as it is an essential part of vitamin B12."

Important to human nutrition?

Too much intake of cobalt would be toxic. Even if it is essential, too much could kill you.

More words scribbled into my notebook.

My mind reminded me of the headline.

Cobalt Copper.

I flipped back to the table of contents.

'Alloys...................... pg. 53'

If I had to guess, it'd be there.

I found the section, skimming down the different types of alloys.
Finally, I found the one I was looking for.

'Cu-Co Alloy'

I read the information provided.

'Cu-97.5% Co-2.5%'

Properties:
Melting point- N/A
Boiling point- N/A
Density- N/A

I looked up for a moment, confused.

Is there not a lot of information on this alloy?

I went back to reading.

Health & Safety Info:
Signal Word: N/A
Hazard Statements: N/A
Hazard Codes: N/A
Risk Codes: N/A
Safety Statements: N/A
Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling (GHS): N/A

This is so weird.
Everything is not available.
I don't understand.

I continued scavenging the page, hoping to find something useful.

"Cobalt Copper is a toxic Metal."

That was it.

I don't get this. At all.

There's got to be more information.

But there's nothing.

Suddenly, a certain grey machine appeared in my train of thoughts.

I slammed the book shut and shoved it back in the bookshelf, running to the nearest computer.

My fingers danced on the keys in a flash, typing in the few words that wanted to leave my mouth in a hurried shout.

The History of Cobalt.

______________________
Author's Note
References:
The source for information on cobalt is http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele027.html. All information on cobalt in this chapter is taken from the website.

The source for information on cobalt copper is https://www.americanelements.com/copper-cobalt-alloy. All information used in this chapter for cobalt copper is taken from this website.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far!