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Chemistry question on aluminum

Hi,
I am not sure if I am getting paranoia about this...

Nowadays, there are many equipment (amps, speakers, etc) that are made from aluminum; from a slab, ingot, extruded and other processes. And I am a sucker for the raw industrial silvery color Aluminum looks. I just dig them. (Think YG acoustics, Audiomachina, Modwright, Jeff Rowland, Acoustic Signature TT, et al)

But I live in the hot and humid tropics. A friend, knowing that I failed Chemistry in school, put a scary thought in me that white powdery substance will form and corrode them in the long run.

Anyone care to give me a Chemistry 101 lesson on this with respect to Audio equipment?

Thanks.
hamburger
brf
1,715 posts
 
Most aluminum products are clear coated or anodized to prevent oxidation. i.e. Rowland as an example. If you look at a car aluminum wheel, the are all anodized.
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drrsutliff
858 posts
 
Aluminum reacts with oxygen to form aluminum oxide. This oxide will completely cover the surface between the raw aluminum and the atmosphere and prevent any additional reaction with oxygen. The layer formed is about 3 to 4 nanometers in thickness. The process of anodizing aluminum actually increases the thickness of this layer and makes it harder.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Far more manufacturers using aluminium chasis. Most of heatsinks are aluminium. The lifespan of aluminium chassis is far larger than human lifespan so nothing and nothing to scratch your head about in any case. Raw aluminium can be toxic if digested so it's not recommended to cook a food on untreated aluminium. Other than that there's no toxines getting airborn off the aluminiumn surface.
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