Editing Chromium (section)

== History ==
=== Early applications ===
The [[History of China|ancient Chinese]] are credited with the first ever use of chromium to prevent [[Rust|rusting]]. Modern archaeologists discovered that bronze-tipped [[crossbow]] bolts at the [[Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor|tomb of Qin Shi Huang]] showed no sign of corrosion after more than 2,000 years, because they had been coated in chromium.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cotterell |first=Maurice |title=The Terracotta Warriors: The Secret Codes of the Emperor's Army |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co |isbn=1-59143-033-X |publication-date=2004 |pages=102}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Luo |first=Zhewen |title=China's Imperial Tombs and Mausoleums |publisher=Foreign Languages Press |year=1993 |isbn=7-119-01619-9 |pages=44}}</ref> In multiple [[Warring States period]] tombs, sharp ''[[Jian|jians]]'' and other weapons were also found to be coated with 10 to 15 micrometers of chromium oxide, which left them in pristine condition to this day.<ref>{{Cite book |last=J. C. McVeigh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QE3bAAAAMAAJ |title=Energy around the world: an introduction to energy studies, global resources, needs, utilization |publisher=Pergamon Press |year=1984 |isbn=0-08-031650-6 |pages=24}}</ref> Chromium was not used anywhere else until the experiments of French pharmacist and chemist [[Louis Nicolas Vauquelin]] (1763–1829) in the late 1790s.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jacques Guertin |title=Chromium(VI) Handbook |last2=James A. Jacobs |last3=Cynthia P. Avakian |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-56670-608-7 |publication-date=2005}}</ref> 

Chromium minerals as pigments came to the attention of the west in the eighteenth century. On 26&nbsp;July 1761, [[Johann Gottlob Lehmann (scientist)|Johann Gottlob Lehmann]] found an orange-red mineral in the [[Beryozovskoye deposit|Beryozovskoye mines]] in the [[Ural Mountains]] which he named ''Siberian red lead''.<ref name="Meyer 1962 p.">{{cite book|last = Meyer|first = RJ|title = Chrom: Teil A – Lieferung 1. Geschichtliches · Vorkommen · Technologie · Element bis Physikalische Eigenschaften|publisher = Springer Berlin Heidelberg Imprint Springer|location = Berlin, Heidelberg|year = 1962| isbn = 978-3-662-11865-8|oclc = 913810356|language = de}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title = De Nova Minerae Plumbi Specie Crystallina Rubra, Epistola|last1 = Lehmanni|first1 = Iohannis Gottlob|year = 1766|url = http://www.mdz-nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb10226162-6|access-date = 7 October 2018|archive-date = 24 July 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200724004908/http://www.mdz-nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb10226162-6|url-status = live}}</ref> Though misidentified as a [[lead]] compound with [[selenium]] and [[iron]] components, the mineral was in fact [[crocoite]] with a formula of PbCrO<sub>4</sub>.<ref name="ChromiumVI">{{Cite book|title = Chromium (VI) Handbook|url = https://archive.org/details/chromiumvihandbo00guer_095|url-access = limited|publisher = CRC Press|date = 2005|isbn = 978-1-56670-608-7|pages = [https://archive.org/details/chromiumvihandbo00guer_095/page/n18 7]–11|author = Guertin, Jacques|author2 = Jacobs, James Alan|author3 = Avakian, Cynthia P.|name-list-style = amp }}</ref> In 1770, [[Peter Simon Pallas]] visited the same site as Lehmann and found a red lead mineral that was discovered to possess useful properties as a [[pigment]] in [[paint]]s. After Pallas, the use of Siberian red lead as a paint pigment began to develop rapidly throughout the region.<ref name="Weeks1932">{{cite journal|last1 = Weeks|first1 = Mary Elvira|author-link = Mary Elvira Weeks|title = The discovery of the elements. V. Chromium, molybdenum, tungsten and uranium|journal = Journal of Chemical Education|volume = 9|issue = 3|year = 1932|pages = 459–73|issn = 0021-9584|doi = 10.1021/ed009p459|bibcode = 1932JChEd...9..459W}}</ref> Crocoite would be the principal source of chromium in pigments until the discovery of [[chromite]] many years later.<ref>{{cite web|last1 = Casteran|first1 = Rene|title = Chromite mining|url = https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/chromite_mining/#.W7K-TWhKiyJ|website = Oregon Encyclopedia|publisher = Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society|access-date = 1 October 2018|archive-date = 26 September 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210926185253/https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/chromite_mining/#.W7K-TWhKiyJ|url-status = live}}</ref>

[[File:Cut Ruby.jpg|left|thumb|upright|The red color of rubies is due to trace amounts of chromium within the [[corundum]].]]

In 1794, [[Louis Nicolas Vauquelin]] received samples of crocoite [[ore]]. He produced [[chromium(VI) oxide|chromium trioxide]] (CrO<sub>3</sub>) by mixing crocoite with [[hydrochloric acid]].<ref name="ChromiumVI" /> In 1797, Vauquelin discovered that he could isolate metallic chromium by heating the oxide in a charcoal oven, for which he is credited as the one who truly discovered the element.<ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6dgPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA145|journal = Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts|date = 1798|pages = 145–146|volume = 3|title = Memoir on a New Metallic Acid which exists in the Red Lead of Siberia|first = Louis Nicolas|last = Vauquelin|access-date = 8 January 2019|archive-date = 10 June 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240610050310/https://books.google.com/books?id=6dgPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA145#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822008815672;view=1up;seq=542|journal = Transactions of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers|year = 1895|page = 482|volume = 25|title = Chrome in the Southern Appalachian Region|first = William|last = Glenn|access-date = 8 January 2019|archive-date = 26 September 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210926201003/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822008815672;view=1up;seq=542|url-status = live}}</ref> Vauquelin was also able to detect traces of chromium in precious [[gemstone]]s, such as [[ruby]] and [[emerald]].<ref name="ChromiumVI" /><ref>{{cite web|last = van der Krogt|first = Peter|title = Chromium|url = http://elements.vanderkrogt.net/element.php?sym=Cr|access-date = 24 Aug 2008|archive-date = 26 September 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210926185257/https://elements.vanderkrogt.net/element.php?sym=Cr|url-status = live}}</ref>

During the nineteenth century, chromium was primarily used not only as a component of paints, but in [[Tanning (leather)|tanning]] salts as well. For quite some time, the crocoite found in Russia was the main source for such tanning materials. In 1827, a larger chromite deposit was discovered near [[Baltimore]], United States, which quickly met the demand for tanning salts much more adequately than the crocoite that had been used previously.<ref>{{cite web|last1 = Ortt|first1 = Richard A Jr.|title = Soldier's Delight, Baltimore Country|url = http://www.mgs.md.gov/geology/geology_tour/soldiers_delight.html|website = Maryland Department of Natural Resources|publisher = Maryland Geological Survey|access-date = 13 May 2019|archive-date = 3 May 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210503161902/http://www.mgs.md.gov/geology/geology_tour/soldiers_delight.html|url-status = live}}</ref> This made the United States the largest producer of chromium products until the year 1848, when larger deposits of chromite were uncovered near the city of [[Bursa]], Turkey.<ref name="NRC" /> With the development of metallurgy and chemical industries in the Western world, the need for chromium increased.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.bkmkitap.com/klasikten-moderne-osmanli-ekonomisi|title=Klasikten Moderne Osmanlı Ekonomisi|publisher=Kronik Kitap|editor-last=Bilgin|editor-first=Arif|location=Turkey|page=240|editor-last2=Çağlar|editor-first2=Burhan|access-date=24 September 2020|archive-date=18 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418060259/https://www.bkmkitap.com/klasikten-moderne-osmanli-ekonomisi|url-status=live}}</ref>

Chromium is also famous for its reflective, metallic luster when polished. It is used as a protective and decorative coating on car parts, plumbing fixtures, furniture parts and many other items, usually applied by [[electroplating]]. Chromium was used for electroplating as early as 1848, but this use only became widespread with the development of an improved process in 1924.<ref name="Crplating">{{cite book|title = Nickel and Chromium Plating|url = https://archive.org/details/nickelchromiumpl00such|url-access = limited|publisher = Woodhead Publishing|date = 1993|isbn = 978-1-85573-081-6|pages = [https://archive.org/details/nickelchromiumpl00such/page/n22 9]–12|chapter = History of Chromium Plating|last1 = Dennis|first1 = JK|last2 = Such|first2 = TE}}</ref>
<!--* http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/CadresFenetre?O=30000000151765&I=639&M=tdm Ueber die Darstellung von metallischem Chrom auf galvanischem Wege. Aus einem Briefe des Prof. Bunsen Annalen der Physik 1854 (T167 = SER2, T91 619-624
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