CRYOLITE

THE WHITE GOLD OFGREENLAND

Picture the scene: We’re in Paris. It’s 1855. We are visiting the World’s Fair to peruse the newest inventions of the age, including the first mechanised lawnmower, the first speaking doll, a washing machine and a coffee maker that can produce 50,000 cups of coffee per day. You come across an exhibit you don’t quite understand. It’s just a lump of grey metal. No one is looking, so you pick it up (cheeky). It feels light in your hands and apparently it can be easily stretched, flattened and cast into shapes. This stuff is called ‘aluminium’ and it’s about to change the world!

French scientists have already discovered how to extract aluminium from minerals, but the process is so difficult and expensive that the metal costs more than gold! The French emperor Napoleon III is said to have a set of plates and cutlery made from the stuff, but only his most honoured guests are allowed to use them.