Eli5 why is aluminium not used as a material until relatively recently whilst others metals like gold, iron, bronze, tin are found throughout human history?

Question

Eli5 why is aluminium not used as a material until relatively recently whilst others metals like gold, iron, bronze, tin are found throughout human history?

In: 7474

Answer 1

Alum which is an aluminum compound has been used on dyes for centuries. The element itself wasn’t discovered until 1825. It is really rare to find it as an element in nature. The process to create it on an industrial scale needs a lot of electricity. So before that, it was made in small batches which made it incredibly expensive

Just a fun fact, the top of the Washington Monument is covered in aluminum because it was so valuable at the time