
Cobalt
Cobalt is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, soil, water, plants, and animals. Cobalt is used to produce alloys used in the manufacture of aircraft engines, magnets, grinding and cutting tools, artificial hip and knee joints. Cobalt compounds are also used to color glass, ceramics and paints, and used as a drier for porcelain enamel and paints. Radioactive cobalt is used for commercial and medical purposes.60Co (read as cobalt sixty) is used for sterilizing medical equipment and consumer products, radiation therapy for treating cancer patients, manufacturing plastics, and irradiating food.57Co is used in medical and scientific research. It takes about 5.27 years for half of60Co to give off its radiation and about 272 days for57Co; this is called the half-life. — Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
- IUPAC name
- cobalt
- Molecular formula
- Co
- Molecular weight
- 58.93319 g/mol
- Exact mass
- 58.933194 Da
- Topological polar surface area
- 0.0 Ų
- Hydrogen-bond donors
- 0
- Hydrogen-bond acceptors
- 0
- Covalent units
- 1
- Defined stereocentres
- 0
Also known as
16 more reported names
External database identifiers
- ChEBI:CHEBI:27638
- ChEBI:CHEBI:85033
- EPA DTXSID:DTXSID1031040
- EPA DTXSID:DTXSID50872436
- PubMed:41385298
- PubMed:40158757
- PubMed:38605572
- PubMed:37400750
- PubMed:35504338
- PubMed:34468815
- PubMed:34157415
- PubMed:32827984
- PubMed:32805375
- PubMed:32750324
- PubMed:32007923
- PubMed:31551411
Retrieved from NIH PubChem on 2026-09-02 by checksum-valid CAS matching. Chemical properties do not replace the regulatory decision on this page.