In the old days, the inhabitants of the Urals often used this stone to visit the village baths. And today it is impossible to imagine modern aviation, the automotive industry, medicine and cinematography without it.
The Russian Emperor Paul I was fond of everything connected with military affairs. When he gained power, he began to actively introduce new orders in the Russian army. He was particularly fond of the Prussian army uniform, and soon ordered his officers to wear clean boots. He had his footwear thoroughly polished every morning with a chromium alloy - he made them sparkle in the sun a mile away!
The chromium-added material owes its property to the mineral chromite. Chromium is widely used in the construction industry and in metallurgy where it is widely used to manufacture refractory bricks and metal anti-corrosive coatings. The process is called chrome plating, and it is well known to car and motorbike owners who like to decorate their iron horses (as Manowar sang a long time ago) with shiny details.
This valuable stone was first discovered on the territory of the Southern Urals by Professor Peter Meder in 1799. In the local villages, the inhabitants call it bath stone and use it for its intended purpose. Even when heated strongly, it does not release harmful elements, so it is ideal for baths and saunas. Due to its high melting point, chromite does not crack due to temperature fluctuations.
Since the middle of the 18th century, its extraction and widespread use in heavy industry, above all aviation and defence, began. As it turned out, chromite significantly increases the hardness of steel, which is an indispensable quality in the production of aircraft and helicopters, weapons and ammunition.
During World War II, after one of the battles in German-occupied territory, Red Army soldiers obtained captured shells for Wehrmacht tank guns and howitzers. They were carefully studied by military engineers, who soon realised why the Nazi shells had an unexpectedly powerful penetrating force. It turned out that the tips of the warheads had been treated with chromium compounds.
Thanks to the fact that chromite is found in igneous rocks, it does not release various hazardous elements even when heated. The high melting temperature prevents the stone from cracking. The world's suppliers of chromite are South-East Africa and Kazakhstan; there are also deposits in Turkey and Cuba, and a great deal of chromite is mined in Russia.
Chromite is widely used in the metalworking industry. After high temperatures, hard carbides are formed and coated on diamonds, making them virtually wear-resistant. Chromium is also used extensively in electronic engineering, as well as in the chemical industry for the production of paints and tanning agents. It is hard to imagine how many masterpieces of painting it has "participated" in.
Chrome is also used by jewelers. It is often used in combination with silver and other light metals to create jewellery. By the way, it is also suitable for gentlemen; as delicate rings and cufflinks have been an important part of the fashionable image of "real gentlemen" for centuries.
In the last half-century, chrome has been used unexpectedly in film and television. "The dream factory", before the advent of digital production techniques, widely used methods of combining an actor's scene with the background, known as the "wandering mask". Modern multi-exposure, now known as "chromakey," which allows you to overlay one frame on top of another, was first used by British director George Albert Smith in 1898. Five years later, the film The Great Train Robbery was released on the big screens, which first used double exposure to create the background in the windows of the train, which were covered with black cloth during filming.
In television studios, chromakey technology became indispensable, allowing news anchors standing on a blue or green background to be transported to the location of any event, thereby creating an effect of presence. This technology was most widely used in the production of music videos and commercials, until it was superseded by computer-generated special effects.
Cobalt-chrome-nickel alloy was also needed in medicine: to create artificial bones and joints, heart valves and staples for suturing blood vessels. Therefore, it is safe to say that medics are saving lives thanks to chromium.
However, some chromium compounds are hazardous to health: metal dust irritates lung tissue, causes dermatitis and is even carcinogenic. Chronic inhalation of hexavalent chromium compounds increases the risk of nasopharyngeal diseases and lung cancer.
The Hollywood film "Erin Brockovich", based on a true story, tells of a major lawsuit involving environmental contamination with hexavalent chromium by a large US company, which resulted in many people living in the neighbourhood developing serious diseases.
The effects of chromium on the human body, however, are still poorly understood by scientists. Chromite's energy was previously thought to cope with colds, give the body strength, heal nervous disorders, and help with insomnia. Horoscope writers also believe that chromite both attracts good luck and destroys family ties. Therefore, it is not suitable as a talisman - it is not recommended to wear it all the time.
However, this rule does not apply to military personnel: uniforms of officers of the Russian army, as well as the armed forces of other countries, still use products covered with chromium: medals, orders, cockades, award weapons, dirks and other elements of the ceremonial uniform.
Translated by Diego Monterrey, for Northwest Forpost.
