Cobalt is a material that has been use in production of a Chinese vases and some weapons;it is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27 in the periodic table of elements.
In ancient China the beautiful blues used in the finest porcelains came from a cobalt ore. Until the early years of this century most of the world’s production of cobalt went to provide color for the porcelain and glass industries.
Today cobalt, which in its natural state is a hard silvery-white metallic substance, serves many purposes. It can also be the means of treating certain illnesses by deep X-rays, and a material that can be use for the creation of a powerful weapon.
About a quarter of the output of cobalt goes into the making of magnets, since the metal has a high magnetic quality. It has many engineering uses. It can be employed to take away the slightly yellow tint of the iron in plate-glass windows. There is a call for it in dentistry and bone surgery.
In Australia and New Zealand ranchers were puzzled by the poor condition of sheep and cattle grazing on apparently good pasture land. Eventually it was discovered that the land did not have enough cobalt. Today small quantities of cobalt-based compound are added either to the water supplies serving cattle or to the land itself in the form of fertilizers.
Cobalt is also essential food ingredient for human beings. Liver, cabbage, spinach, lettuce and watercress all contain comparatively high levels of it. About 20,000 tons of cobalt are produced every year.
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