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Chromium
Gist
Chromium is currently used in such widely diversified products as stainless, tool and alloy steels, heat- and corrosion-resistant materials, special purpose alloys, alloy cast iron, pigments, metal plating, leather tanning, chemicals, and refractory materials for metallurgical furnaces.
Chromium (Cr) is a hard, silvery-grey transition metal with atomic number 24, known for its high resistance to corrosion and its ability to form a wide range of colorful compounds. It is a vital component in the production of stainless steel and other alloys, and it also finds applications in electroplating, pigments, and as an essential trace element in biological systems.
Chromium is important in the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates. It stimulates fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis. They are important for brain function and other body processes. Chromium also aids in insulin action and glucose breakdown.
Summary
Chromium is a chemical element; it has symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal.
Chromium is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardness. A major development in steel production was the discovery that steel could be made highly resistant to corrosion and discoloration by adding metallic chromium to form stainless steel. Stainless steel and chrome plating (electroplating with chromium) together comprise 85% of the commercial use. Chromium is also greatly valued as a metal that is able to be highly polished while resisting tarnishing. Polished chromium reflects almost 70% of the visible spectrum, and almost 90% of infrared light. The name of the element is derived from the Greek word χρῶμα, chrōma, meaning color, because many chromium compounds are intensely colored.
Industrial production of chromium proceeds from chromite ore (mostly FeCr2O4) to produce ferrochromium, an iron-chromium alloy, by means of aluminothermic or silicothermic reactions. Ferrochromium is then used to produce alloys such as stainless steel. Pure chromium metal is produced by a different process: roasting and leaching of chromite to separate it from iron, followed by reduction with carbon and then aluminium.
Trivalent chromium (Cr(III)) occurs naturally in many foods and is sold as a dietary supplement, although there is insufficient evidence that dietary chromium provides nutritional benefit to people. In 2014, the European Food Safety Authority concluded that research on dietary chromium did not justify it to be recognized as an essential nutrient.
While chromium metal and Cr(III) ions are considered non-toxic, chromate and its derivatives, often called "hexavalent chromium", is toxic and carcinogenic. According to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), chromium trioxide that is used in industrial electroplating processes is a "substance of very high concern" (SVHC).
Details
chromium (Cr), chemical element of Group 6 (VIb) of the periodic table, a hard steel-gray metal that takes a high polish and is used in alloys to increase strength and corrosion resistance. Chromium was discovered (1797) by the French chemist Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin and isolated as the metal a year later; it was named for its multicoloured compounds. The green colour of emerald, serpentine, and chrome mica and the red colour of ruby are due to small amounts of chromium. The name of the element chromium (from Greek chrōmos, “colour”) connotes the pronounced and varied colorations of chromium compounds.
Element Properties
atomic number : 24
atomic weight : 51.9961
melting point : 1,890 °C (3,434 °F)
boiling point : 2,482 °C (4,500 °F)
specific gravity : 7.20 (28 °C)
oxidation states : +2, +3, +6.
Occurrence, uses, and properties
Chromium is a relatively abundant element in Earth’s crust; the free metal is never found in nature. Most ores consist of the mineral chromite, the ideal formula of which is FeCr2O4. It is widely dispersed in natural deposits, which are usually contaminated with oxygen, magnesium, aluminum, and silica; their chromium content varies from 42 to 56 percent. One of the chief uses of chromium is in ferrous alloys, for which the pure metal is not required. Accordingly, chromite is often reduced with carbon in a furnace, producing the alloy ferrochromium, which contains iron and chromium in an atom ratio of approximately 1 to 2.
To obtain pure chromium, chromite is first treated with molten alkali and oxygen, converting all of the chromium to the alkali chromate, and the latter is dissolved in water and eventually precipitated as sodium dichromate, Na2Cr2O7. The dichromate is then reduced with carbon to chromium sesquioxide, Cr2O3, and that oxide in turn is reduced with aluminum to give the chromium metal.
Chromium is added to iron and nickel in the form of ferrochromium to produce alloys specially characterized by their high resistance to corrosion and oxidation. Used in small amounts, chromium hardens steel. Stainless steels are alloys of chromium and iron in which the chromium content varies from 10 to 26 percent. Chromium alloys are used to fabricate such products as oil tubing, automobile trim, and cutlery. Chromite is used as a refractory and as a raw material for the production of chromium chemicals.
The metal is white, hard, lustrous, and brittle and is extremely resistant to ordinary corrosive reagents; this resistance accounts for its extensive use as an electroplated protective coating. At elevated temperatures chromium unites directly with the halogens or with sulfur, silicon, boron, nitrogen, carbon, or oxygen.
Natural chromium consists of a mixture of four stable isotopes: chromium-52 (83.76 percent), chromium-53 (9.55 percent), chromium-50 (4.31 percent), and chromium-54 (2.38 percent). The metal is paramagnetic (weakly attracted to a magnet). It exists in two forms: body-centred cubic (alpha) and hexagonal close-packed (beta). At room temperature, chromium slowly dissolves in hydrochloric and dilute sulfuric acids. Certain oxidizing agents produce a thin unreactive oxide layer on the metal, rendering it passive also to dilute mineral acids, such as sulfuric, nitric, or cold aqua regia. At ordinary temperatures the metal shows no reaction to seawater or to wet or dry air.
Top producers of chromium include South Africa, India, Kazakhstan, and Turkey.
Principal compounds
The most common oxidation states of chromium are +6, +3, and +2. A few stable compounds of the +5, +4, and +1 states, however, are known.
Chromium forms several commercially valuable oxygen compounds, the most important of which is chromium oxide, commonly called chromium trioxide or chromic acid, CrO3, in which chromium is in the +6 oxidation state. An orange-red crystalline solid, chromic acid liquefies gradually when exposed to moist air. It is usually produced by treatment of sodium dichromate with sulfuric acid. Chromic acid is used chiefly for chromium plating but is also employed as a colorant in ceramics. It is a powerful oxidant and may react violently with some organic materials, but such solutions are often utilized by controlled oxidations in organic synthesis.
Another significant oxygen compound is chromium oxide, also known as chromium sesquioxide or chromic oxide, Cr2O3, in which chromium is in the +3 oxidation state. It is prepared by calcining sodium dichromate in the presence of carbon or sulfur. Chromium oxide is a green powder and is employed extensively as a pigment; its hydrate form, known as Guignet’s green, is used when chemical and heat resistance are required.
Additional Information:
Appearance
A hard, silvery metal with a blue tinge.
Uses
Chromium is used to harden steel, to manufacture stainless steel (named as it won’t rust) and to produce several alloys.
Chromium plating can be used to give a polished mirror finish to steel. Chromium-plated car and lorry parts, such as bumpers, were once very common. It is also possible to chromium plate plastics, which are often used in bathroom fittings.
About 90% of all leather is tanned using chrome. However, the waste effluent is toxic so alternatives are being investigated.
Chromium compounds are used as industrial catalysts and pigments (in bright green, yellow, red and orange colours). Rubies get their red colour from chromium, and glass treated with chromium has an emerald green colour.
Biological role
Chromium is an essential trace element for humans because it helps us to use glucose. However, it is poisonous in excess. We take in about 1 milligram a day. Foods such as brewer’s yeast, wheat germ and kidney are rich in chromium.
Natural abundance
Chromium is found mainly in chromite. This ore is found in many places including South Africa, India, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Chromium metal is usually produced by reducing chromite with carbon in an electric-arc furnace, or reducing chromium(III) oxide with aluminium or silicon.
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