Though
it was used in Persia to color glass as far back as 2250 B.C., Cobalt was not
known to the Western world until the 15th century. Miners in Germany at
the time thought it was silver and melted it down. Rarely found in pure form in nature,
this batch was combined with
Arsenic. When melted, it released a poisonous gas, and many miners were
killed. From this, the element gained its name for the German
"kobold," a mythical demon that was believed to live in mines and
steal the precious gems there. The name Kobold was later changed by
puritans to the more familiar "goblin."
Today, Cobalt continues to live up to its
demonic name. Found in beta carotine, it can be 
important
to ones health, but if consumed in large amounts, it can cause nausea,
nosebleeds, convulsions, and even death. Cobalt 60, the
highly radioactive isotope of Cobalt, is created during the explosion of
Hydrogen bombs, when the Cobalt 59 in the bomb is bombarded with neutrons.
This isotope contributes greatly to the amount of nuclear fallout after
detonation. In addition, a particularly fast and aggressive tarantula is
the cobalt blue tarantula.
This
is not to suggest that Cobalt does not have a positive side. It has many
uses. It is used to create magnets and forms strong alloys with other
metals. These alloys are used in cutting tools, engine valves, and gas
turbines. Cobalt is best known for its intensely colored dyes,
especially red (which is used in hair dyes) and blue. "Cobalt
blue" is popularly used in glassware, especially during the art deco
period.
Cobalt
has come to mean far more than just the 27th element on the periodic table.
Cobalt is the name of a small mining town in Ontario, Canada (from which the
mural on the left is taken), and a city in Idaho. It is also the name of
an upscale resort for gay men in palm springs.
There is even a credit card named for Cobalt!
Some
bands have also taken the name cobalt, including Cobalt 60 an industrial
(read: really weird music) rock band, and Cobalt Blue, a blues band.
You can link to their music here:
Cobalt Blue: http://www.thegrid.net/themadottr/Co.html
Cobalt60: http://www.front242.com/cobalt60 *
*note: sometimes this site works, and sometimes it doesn't
Hey, so that's the wonderful world of Cobalt. If you have any comments on my page, or if you are Taye Diggs,
