Cobalt wani sinadari ne a rukunin transition metals a jadawalin sinadarai, mai lamba ta atom 27 da kuma yana da nauyin atomic kimanin 58.93. Ana taƙaita sunansa da alamar Co. Cobalt ƙarfe ne mai ɗan launin shuɗi zuwa baki, mai ɗanɗano kuma yana da matuƙar amfani a fannoni da dama na rayuwa, tun daga ayyukan masana’antu, zuwa samar da makamashi, zuwa fasahar zamani da likitanci. Yana ɗaya daga cikin sinadarai masu daraja a duniya saboda rawar da yake takawa wajen ƙarfafa haɗaka ƙarafa (alloys), samar da batura na zamani, da kuma pigments masu kyan shuɗi waɗanda aka daɗe ana amfani da su a fannin fasaha da zane-zane.
Cobalt yana cikin rukunin transition metals, kamar yadda aka bayyana a farko, kuma yana da ƙarfin samar da haɗe-haɗe daban-daban na ionic, musamman +2 da +3. Yana da alaƙa sosai da sauran sinadarai irin su iron (Fe) da nickel (Ni), kuma a dabi’a (natural) ana samun shi a haɗe da waɗannan sinadarai.
Tarihin gano cobalt
Cobalt an fara gano shi tun a ƙarni na 16 a nahiyar Turai, lokacin da mahaƙa ma’adanan ƙarfe a Jamus suka lura da wani ƙarfe da yake ba da launin shuɗi a gilashi. Duk da haka, ba a tantance shi a matsayin sabon sinadari ba sai a cikin shekarar 1735 lokacin da Georg Brandt, wani masanin kimiyya ɗan ƙasar Sweden, ya gano shi a hukumance. Brandt ya tabbatar cewa launin shuɗi na gilashi da ake danganta shi da bismuth ko copper ashe daga wani sabon ƙarfe yake fitowa. Wannan ya sa aka ba shi suna daga kalmar Jamusanci wato kobalt ko kobold, wadda ke nufin “aljani” saboda mahaƙan ma’adanan sun yi imani cewa wannan ƙarfe yana da iska marar kyau wanda ke kawo cuta da wahala yayin haƙar shi.
Siffofin sinadarin colbat
Cobalt ƙarfe ne mai ƙarfi, mai ɗaukar magnetism, kuma yana da launin shuɗi zuwa baki. Yana da melting point da ya kai kimanin (1495 °C) da kuma boiling point kusan 2927 °C. Nauyin sinadarin ya kai kusan 8.9 g/cm³, wanda yake kusan daidai da na nickel.
A matsayin ƙarfe mai sauyawa, cobalt yana da ƙarfin samar da ions na Co²⁺ da Co³⁺, waɗanda ke ba da launuka masu kyan gani a cikin ruwa da haɗe-haɗen gishiri. Cobalt yana iya samar da nau’ikan gishiri irin su cobalt chloride, cobalt nitrate, cobalt sulfate, da sauransu. Waɗannan nau’ikan gishiri suna da amfani sosai wajen ayyukan masana’antu da kuma a matsayin catalysts.
Ire-iren Isotopes da ke cikin cobalt
Cobalt yana da isotope ɗaya ne kawai mai ɗorewa a dabi’a, wato Cobalt-59 (⁵⁹Co). Wannan shi ne isotopen da ake samu a ƙasa a yanayi, kuma shi ne yake ba da duk siffofin sinadarin cobalt na asali. Sai dai kuma, an gano wasu isotopes masu yawa waɗanda ba sa ɗorewa, waɗanda ake amfani da su a kimiyya da likitanci.
Daga cikinsu, Cobalt-60 (⁶⁰Co) shi ne mafi muhimmanci. Wannan isotope ana samar da shi ta hanyar reactors na nukiliya, ta hanyar ɗaukar neutron daga Cobalt-59. Yana da half-life kimanin shekaru 5.27. Yana ba da radiation mai ƙarfi na gamma, wanda ake amfani da shi wajen warkar da cutar daji (radiotherapy), wajen tsaftace kayayyakin kiwon lafiya, da kuma wajen gano matsalolin injina ta hanyar radiography.
Sauran isotopes na cobalt sun haɗa da:
- Cobalt-56 (⁵⁶Co), yana da half-life kimanin kwanaki 77, yana narkewa zuwa iron-56.
- Cobalt-57 (⁵⁷Co), yana da half-life na kwanaki 272, ana amfani da shi a binciken ƙwayoyin halitta musamman wajen nazarin enzymes da hormones.
- Cobalt-58 (⁵⁸Co), da half-life kimanin kwanaki 71, yana ba da radiation na beta da gamma.
Duk da cewa waɗannan isotopes ba sa kasancewa a tsarin dabi’a, ana iya samar da su ta hanyar fasahar nukiliya, kuma suna da matuƙar amfani a fannin bincike da magani.
Samuwar cobalt a duniya
Cobalt ba shi da yawa sosai a doron ƙasa, amma yana yawan samuwa a haɗe da sauran ma’adanai irin su nickel da copper. Manyan wuraren haƙar cobalt suna cikin ƙasashen Afrika, musamman a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wadda ke samar da fiye da rabin cobalt na duniya. Ana samun shi a cikin ma’adanai irin su cobaltite (CoAsS), erythrite (Co₃(AsO₄)₂·8H₂O), da skutterudite.
Ana fitar da cobalt a matsayin sinadarin haɗi daga haƙar nickel da copper. Saboda haka, yawanci ba a haƙo shi shi kaɗai, sai dai ana samun shi a matsayin “by-product” daga sauran ma’adanai.
Amfanin sinadarin cobalt
Cobalt yana na amfani a fannoni da yawa, kuma hakan ne ya sa ake ganin shi a matsayin ƙarfe mai daraja a zamanin yau.
Amfani a cikin alloys
Cobalt yana ƙara ƙarfi da juriya ga zafi da lalacewa a hade-hadrn ƙarafa. Ana amfani da shi wajen samar da alloys masu ƙarfi kamar superalloys waɗanda ake amfani da su a injinan jiragen sama, turbin na wutar lantarki, da injinan soja.
Amfani a haɗa batura
Cobalt yana daga cikin manyan abubuwan da ake amfani da su wajen samar da lithium-ion batteries, musamman a matsayin Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO₂). Wannan yana da muhimmanci a wayoyin salula, kwamfutoci, da kuma motoci.
Pigments & paint
Tun da daɗewa cobalt ya kasance tushen samar da launin shuɗi mai kyau da ake kira cobalt blue. Ana amfani da shi wajen yin zanen gilashi, fenti, da kayan ado.
Amfanin a matsayin catalysts
Cobalt yana da matuƙar amfani a matsayin catalyst a masana’antu, musamman wajen samar da man fetur daga iskar gas.
Amfani a likitanci
Isotope na cobalt-60 yana da muhimmanci wajen radiotherapy don maganin cutar daji. Ana kuma amfani da shi wajen tsaftace kayan aikin likitanci.
Amfani a fannin kiwon lafiya
Cobalt yana da muhimmanci a jikin ɗan’adam a matsayin wani ɓangare na Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin). Wannan bitamin yana taka rawar gani wajen samar da jini da kuma lafiyar tsarin jijiya.
Tasirin colbat ga muhalli da tsaro
Duk da amfanin cobalt da aka zayyano a sama, yana iya zama guba idan ya taru da yawa a jiki. Feshin cobalt ko shakar ƙura daga ma’adanan cobalt na iya jawo matsalolin numfashi. Haka kuma, isotopes na cobalt masu ba da radiation suna da haɗari sosai, kuma suna buƙatar kulawa ta musamman.
Sabbin bincike da ci gaba
A halin yanzu, cobalt yana cikin manyan abubuwan da masana ke tattaunawa game da amfani da shi a baturin lithium-ion da motocin lantarki. Hakan ya sa ake ta ƙoƙarin nemo hanyoyin rage amfani da shi, ko maye gurbinsa da wasu sinadarai saboda tsadarsa da matsalolin haƙar shi a wuraren da ake samun shi.
Masana kimiyya kuma suna bincike kan yadda za a yi amfani da cobalt wajen catalysis don samar da makamashi mai tsafta, da kuma amfani da nau’ikan isotopes wajen gano cututtuka a likitanci.
Manazarta
Armand, M., & Tarascon, J.-M. (2008). Building better batteries. Nature, 451(7179), 652–657.
Gent, W. E., Busse, G. M., & House, K. Z. (2022). The predicted persistence of cobalt in lithium-ion batteries. Nature Energy, 7, 1132–1143.
Kosiorek, M., & Wyszkowski, M. (2019). Effect of cobalt on the environment and living organisms — A review. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research, 17(5), 11419–11449.
Okamoto, S., & Eltis, L. D. (2011). Biological occurrence and trafficking of cobalt. Metallomics, 3(10), 963–970.
Biology. (2023). Prevalence of Cobalt in the Environment and Its Role in Biological Processes. Biology, 12(10), 1335.
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