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What the name
means: The name cobalt comes from
the German word kobold that, in
turn, derives from the Greek word
cobalos, meaning mischievous or evil
spirit.
Who identified
cobalt? In ancient times, cobalt
compounds were found, along with arsenic
compounds, in silver mines. The arsenic
compounds caused sickness amongst the
miners. However, since the miners did not
know what was making some of them ill, the
coloured cobalt compounds were blamed. This
is why the name cobalt derives from words
meaning “evil spirit” or “goblin”.
Glass coloured with
cobalt compounds has been found in Egyptian
tombs and in the ruins of Pompeii. In 1550,
in Bohemia, Christoph Schürer re-discovered
the use of cobalt compounds for colouring
glass. In 1735, George Brant, a Swede
working in France, recognised cobalt as a
metal, calling it cobalt rex. It was
Antoine Lavoisier who recognised cobalt as
an element.
About cobalt:
Cobalt is a shiny, bluish, magnetic
metal. It is not found as the free element
in nature. Apart from its use in colouring
ceramics and paints, cobalt is an essential
element for humans. It is part of the
make-up of the vitamin B12 and
there is about 1mg in the human body. |