Element identity
Atomic number, symbol, relative atomic mass display and periodic position are established reference data.
Atomic / electronic model
Ground-state electron configuration and atomic reference values are compiled/evaluated data; orbital graphics are teaching probability models, not photographs.
Material / molecular structure
The displayed ordinary structure is based on established material or molecular science; simplified viewers are labelled as teaching schematics where exact crystallographic coordinates are not rendered.
Temperature / phase path
Transition values are reference/evaluated values for the stated teaching path; pressure, purity and allotropy can matter.
Geography
Real pins use reviewed place/dataset context. Conceptual layers are used when country pins would imply false occurrence, unsafe inventory or an incomplete global distribution.
The lens describes evidence status, not confidence theatre. “Unknown” is kept unknown, and teaching schematics are not presented as direct measurements.
Aluminium (Al)
Aluminium is a light, corrosion-resistant metal whose three valence electrons connect Period 3 electronic structure to Al³⁺ chemistry, metallic bonding and an exceptionally important materials economy.
Aluminium atomic number, mass, electron configuration and key properties
Aluminium: quick answers
How many protons, neutrons and electrons does aluminum have?
Aluminum’s atomic number is 13, so every aluminum atom has 13 protons, and a neutral atom also has 13 electrons. Its most common natural isotope, aluminum-27, has 14 neutrons (other isotopes have different neutron counts).
What is the symbol for aluminum?
The chemical symbol for aluminum is Al. Outside North America it is spelled aluminium.
Is aluminum a solid, liquid or gas at room temperature?
Aluminum is a solid at room temperature (about 25 °C).
What family (group) is aluminum in?
Aluminum is a post-transition metal, in group 13, period 3 of the periodic table.
How many valence electrons does aluminum have?
Aluminum has 3 valence electrons, the electrons in its outer shell, which matches its position in group 13.
What is the electron configuration of aluminum?
The ground-state electron configuration of aluminum is [Ne] 3s² 3p¹.
From atomic number to chemistry
Read these as a chain of causes, not as isolated facts. Each step links to the concept hub if you want the underlying idea explained.
13 protons define aluminium; a neutral atom contains 13 electrons.
This reviewed ground-state reference connects atomic structure to the element’s chemistry.
Periodic position supplies family context, but element-specific evidence and exceptions still matter.
Isotope notation separates proton identity from neutron count and nuclear behavior.
Aluminium in its period and family
Aluminium lies in Period 3 between magnesium and silicon. Across this period the first-ionization-energy trend has a well-known dip at aluminium because the first removed electron is a 3p electron rather than magnesium’s filled 3s² electron.
Aluminium Visual Lab
Decode the aluminium tile, rotate a ²⁷Al teaching nucleus, inspect 3s/3p orbital shapes, explore an FCC metal lattice and connect the element to bauxite, recycling, transport and packaging.
Every mark points to one exact feature
The numbered markers explain the same information system used throughout Element Lookup. Unknown or predicted fields remain visibly labelled rather than being replaced with guesses.
Aluminium in one minute
Atomic number 13 means every aluminium nucleus contains 13 protons.
[Ne] 3s² 3p¹ gives three valence electrons in the neutral atom.
²⁷Al is the only stable naturally occurring aluminium isotope.
Ordinary aluminium metal is face-centred cubic.
Bauxite is the principal ore feed for alumina and aluminium production.
Shell rings organize electron counts. They are not electron trajectories or orbital shapes.
2 · 8 · 3 electrons
Selected 3s and 3p valence-region views. The 3s teaching cloud includes two radial nodes; the 3p view includes one radial node and a selectable p-orbital orientation. These are one-electron probability-shape models, not electron paths.
Fm-3m · face-centred cubic. The viewer is evidence-aware: measured structures are identified as such; unknown bulk structures stay unknown.
Teaching visualization; not a literal finite sample or thermal trajectory.What this model does—and does not—show
Selected 3s and 3p valence-region views. The 3s teaching cloud includes two radial nodes; the 3p view includes one radial node and a selectable p-orbital orientation. These are one-electron probability-shape models, not electron paths.
Where do I meet aluminium?
Clickable learning cards connect the element to materials, environment, technology, biology or research - depending on what the evidence actually supports.
Bauxite
Aluminium is obtained industrially from alumina derived mainly from bauxite ores.
From reactive metal to protective surface
Aluminium’s usefulness depends on a paradox: the metal is reactive, yet a thin oxide film rapidly passivates the surface.
Bare aluminium
Fresh aluminium can react readily; metallic bonding gives a light, conductive structural metal.
Aluminium between magnesium and silicon
Period 3 trends are useful only when their exceptions are visible. Aluminium is the classic first-ionization-energy dip after magnesium.
| Configuration | [Ne] 3s² |
|---|---|
| 1st ionization | 737.7 kJ/mol |
| Pauling χ | 1.31 |
| Configuration | [Ne] 3s² 3p¹ |
|---|---|
| 1st ionization | 577.5 kJ/mol |
| Pauling χ | 1.61 |
| Configuration | [Ne] 3s² 3p² |
|---|---|
| 1st ionization | 786.5 kJ/mol |
| Pauling χ | 1.90 |
Aluminium properties: atomic, physical, thermal and chemical
Categories follow the science of this element rather than a fixed decorative template. Each row carries condition/provenance context and an evidence label; unknown values stay unknown.
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic number | 13 | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Relative atomic mass | 26.9815385 | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Ground-state electron configuration | [Ne] 3s² 3p¹ | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Group / period / block | Group 13 · Period 3 · p-block | Periodic-table placement | Evaluated |
| Electronegativity | 1.61 | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Reference isotope | ²⁷Al | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| State context | Solid | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Density | 2.70 g/cm³ | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Material / molecular structure | FCC | Fm-3m · face-centred cubic | Measured |
| Classification | Post-transition metal | Periodic-table / chemistry classification | Evaluated |
| Structure-model scope | Fm-3m · face-centred cubic | Teaching visualization; exact crystallographic coordinates are not implied unless stated. | Reviewed |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting / transition reference | 933.473 K | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Boiling / gas reference | 2792 K | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Phase-path context | Below 933.473 K the simplified path is solid aluminium; between melting and boiling it is liquid; above 2792 K it is gas on this approximate standard-pressure teaching path. | Shared phase registry drives the slider, regions and markers. | Evaluated |
| Condition warning | Temperature and pressure define phase behavior; purity/allotropy may matter. | Teaching condition statement | Reviewed |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary electrical behavior | Metallic conductor | Qualitative bulk behavior; exact resistivity depends on temperature, purity and alloy state. | Measured |
| Conduction model | Collective solid-state electrons | Do not interpret isolated-atom orbital clouds as literal current paths. | Reviewed |
| Surface / compound caveat | Oxides, salts and alloys can behave differently from the pure metal | Material context | Reviewed |
| Engineering values | Condition-dependent | Use condition-specific materials data for engineering calculations. | Reviewed |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common oxidation states | +3 | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Ion / common ion context | Al³⁺ | Source-reviewed; see Sources below | Evaluated |
| Periodic chemistry context | Aluminium lies in Period 3 between magnesium and silicon. Across this period the first-ionization-energy trend has a well-known dip at aluminium because the first removed electron is a 3p electron rather than magnesium’s filled 3s² electron. | Element-specific interpretation | Reviewed |
| Chemistry caution | Elemental form, ions and compounds are distinct chemical objects. | Interpretive teaching rule | Reviewed |
| Property | Value | Context / provenance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| ²⁷Al | Stable | essentially all natural aluminium | Evaluated |
| ²⁶Al | Radioactive | cosmogenic isotope used in geochronology and astrophysical studies | Evaluated |
| Teaching nucleus | ²⁷Al · 13 protons + 14 neutrons | Reference isotope used in the nucleus model | Reviewed |
Is Aluminium a solid, liquid or gas? State at temperature
Below 933.473 K the simplified path is solid aluminium; between melting and boiling it is liquid; above 2792 K it is gas on this approximate standard-pressure teaching path.
Where on Earth is Aluminium found or produced?
Who discovered Aluminium, and when?
Ørsted produced an impure form of aluminium metal.
Wöhler improved isolation work and helped establish the element.
Hall and Héroult independently developed electrolytic routes that transformed aluminium production.
The Bayer process for purifying alumina helped establish modern industrial production.
From bauxite to aluminium: process overview
Bauxite is mined and beneficiated as an aluminium-bearing ore.
Alumina (Al₂O₃) is refined from bauxite in industrial chemical processing.
Molten-salt electrolysis reduces alumina to aluminium metal.
Casting, alloying, fabrication and recycling shape the final material cycle.
What is aluminium used for?
Transport
Low density plus alloy engineering supports aircraft, vehicles and rail.
Electrical
Aluminium is widely used in overhead power conductors because conductivity is useful relative to mass.
Packaging
Foil and cans exploit formability, barrier performance and recyclability.
Construction
Frames, cladding and structural alloys combine low mass with corrosion resistance.
Aluminium isotopes and natural abundance
²⁷Al
Stableessentially all natural aluminium
²⁶Al
Radioactivecosmogenic isotope used in geochronology and astrophysical studies
Five-question Aluminium check
How many valence electrons does a neutral aluminium atom have?
What is aluminium’s ordinary crystal structure near room temperature?
Why can aluminium appear corrosion-resistant even though it is reactive?
What is the principal ore feed used to produce alumina for aluminium?
Which isotope accounts for essentially all naturally occurring aluminium?
Aluminium questions students commonly ask
Each answer starts with the direct fact, then explains the chemistry, evidence or material context so the result is understandable rather than merely memorized.
Does aluminium tarnish, and why does it resist corrosion?
Short answer: Aluminium reacts with oxygen very readily, but it rapidly forms a thin, adherent oxide/hydroxide-rich surface film that passivates the underlying metal in many environments.
This is not chemical inertness. The metal is thermodynamically eager to oxidize; the key is that the reaction product can form a compact barrier that greatly slows transport to fresh metal. Scratches can repassivate when oxygen and water are available. Chloride-rich or strongly acidic/alkaline conditions can disrupt or dissolve the protective film, so corrosion resistance is environment-dependent.
Key point: Aluminium survives because it passivates, not because it refuses to react.
How many valence electrons does aluminium have?
Short answer: Three: the neutral ground-state configuration ends 3s² 3p¹.
The neutral-atom ground-state reference used on this page is [Ne] 3s² 3p¹. This is an isolated-atom reference: bonding and ion formation can change which outer electrons are present or chemically active. The listed common oxidation-state context is +3, which helps connect the atomic configuration to ordinary chemistry without treating electron counting as a single universal rule.
Key point: Electron configuration is a ground-state atomic reference, not a literal picture of every compound.
What is aluminium’s crystal structure?
Short answer: Near room temperature, aluminium is face-centred cubic (FCC).
Fm-3m · face-centred cubic. The Structure viewer is an evidence-aware teaching model: measured or defensible structures are shown as models, while genuinely unknown bulk structures remain explicitly unknown.
Key point: A teaching lattice is a scientific model, not a photograph of a finite chunk of material.
Is aluminium found as native metal?
Short answer: Rarely. Its reactivity means natural aluminium is normally present in compounds and minerals.
This guide classifies Aluminium as a post-transition metal. Its periodic position is Period 3, p-block, Group 13. Aluminium lies in Period 3 between magnesium and silicon. Across this period the first-ionization-energy trend has a well-known dip at aluminium because the first removed electron is a 3p electron rather than magnesium’s filled 3s² electron.
Key point: Periodic-table classification describes recurring atomic/chemical behavior; it does not make every element in a column physically identical.
Scientific sources for Aluminium
- Royal Society of Chemistry — Aluminium
- NIST — electronic configurations of the elements
- USGS — Bauxite and Alumina Statistics and Information
- USGS — Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
- RSC — Aluminium
Questions to ask next about Aluminium
A good element lesson should lead to the next useful question, not end after a list of facts.
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