 BAUXITE

CHARACTERISTICS: Bauxite is typically a soft material with a hardness of only 1 to 3

on the Mohhs scale. It’s white to gray to reddish brown with a pisolotic structure, earthy
luster and a low specific gravity of between 2.0and 2.5

SIGNIFICANCE: Bauxite is used in a lot of industries like the chemical industry,

refractory, abrasive, cement, steel, and petrol industry amongst others.

 LITHIUM

CHARACTERISTIC: Lithium has a melting point. It’s the lightest of the metals, with a density
approximately half that of water.

SIGNIFICANCE: It has the lowest density of all metals. It reacts vigorously with water. The
most important to use of lithium is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops,
digital cameras and electronic vehicles.
PLATINUM

CHARACTERISTICS: Platinum is a silver-white metal. It was once known as “white gold.” It’s
extremely resistant to tarnishing and corrosion (which makes it known as a “noble metal”)
and is very soft and malleable, making it easy to shape; ductile, making it easy to stretch into
wire; and unreactive, which means it doesn’t oxidize.

SIGNIFICANCE: Platinum is widely used as a catalyst for chemical reactions. The most
important use of platinum is in vehicles, as a catalytic converter, facilitating the complete
combustion of unburned hydrocarbon passing through the exhaust. Platinum is used in
jewelry, decoration and dental work.

COBALT

CHARACTERISTICS: Cobalt is a hard ferromagnetic, silver-white, hard, lustrous, brittle

element. It’s similar to iron and nickel in its physical properties.

SIGNIFICANCE: Cobalt salts have been used for centuries to produce brilliant blue colours in
paint, porcelain, glass, pottery is used to treat cancer and, in some countries, to irradiate
food to preserve it. Cobalt is an essential trace element, and forms part of the active site of
vitamin B12.
IRON ORE

CHARACTERISTIC: The minerals that are mostly used as ore for making iron are hematite
(Fe203) and magnetite (Fe304). Iron is quite soft and easily worked, but it has a very high
melting point of 1538°C.Iron and some alloys of iron are also magnetic. Iron is about eight
times heavier than water (its relative density is 787).

SIGNIFICANCE: Iron ore is the source of primary iron for the world’s iron and steel
industries. It’s therefore essential for the production of steel, which in turn is essential to
maintain a strong industrial base. Almost all (98%) iron ore is used in steelmaking.