Chemistry: Cobalt

If I were a metal element I’d like to be Cobalt and my symbol is Co.
My atomic number is 27 which means I have 27 protons in my nucleus and 27 electrons around my nucleus.
At room temperature (20 °C) I will be a solid

My melting point (the temperature when I turn from solid to liquid) is 1495 °C.
My boiling point (the temperature when I change from liquid to gas) is 2927 °C
I was first discovered by Swedish chemist Georg Brandit in 1735, in Sweden.
I am found in nature as a metal.
My uses to humans are:

• Colouring things such as glass and china, blue.
• Helping make Alnico, an alloy used in jet engines and gas turbine engines.
• Use in magnets and stainless steel.
• Being part of vitamin B12.

Some interesting things about me are:

• Despite being blue, my chloride counterpart (Cobalt Chloride - CoCl2) is actually pink.
• When put in Sodium Hydroxide, CoCl2 starts as blue and floats, before turning pink and sinking.
• Even though I'm in a vitamin, I can be very toxic!

Cobaltite

Cobalt metal

Cobalt powder

Cobalt Chloride

A vase dyed using cobalt.