Uses of cobalt metal and cobalt salts

(1) Metal cobalt powder can be used as a catalyst for the hydrogenation of organic compounds (such as alkenes and alkynes), while metallic cobalt is employed in industries such as military applications in the form of special steels. (2) Cobalt carbonate, cobalt oxalate, etc., can be calcined to produce cobalt trioxide (which can further be used to synthesize lithium cobalt oxide – a material used in battery cathodes); cobalt trioxide is also a magnetic material. (3) Cobalt trioxide is used as a pigment and in ceramic glazes, etc. It can also be used as an oxidant and a catalyst. Highly active cobalt monoxide is an active additive for the cathode materials in MN/Ni batteries; it functions by **increasing the utilization rate of Ni(OH), thereby** enhancing the battery’s capacity and the number of charge-discharge cycles. It is an essential active material for the production of MN/Ni batteries. (4) Cobalt sulfate is used in the production of ceramic glazes, paint drying agents, and cobalt plating; it can also be used as a feed additive and an additive in alkaline batteries. Cobalt chloride is mainly used by battery manufacturers for lithium cobalt oxide; it is also employed as a coloring agent in glass and ceramics, in electroplating processes, as a catalyst for paint drying, and for absorbing ammonia gas. Manufacture cobalt catalysts, produce color-changing silica gel moisture indicators, and manufacture invisible-invisible ink. In medicine, it stimulates the bone marrow to promote red blood cell production. Used for aplastic anemia and renal anemia. (5) Tetracarbonylcobalt is an important catalyst in organic synthesis; it is also used as a catalyst for polymerization, as an antiknock agent in gasoline, and in the preparation of high-purity cobalt salts.