Cobaut is a chemical element wi symbol Co an atomic nummer 27. Lik nickel, cobaut in the Yird's crust is foond anly in chemically combined furm, save for smaa deposits foond in alloys o naitural meteoric iron. The free element, produced bi reductive smeltin, is a haird, lustrous, siller-gray metal.

Cobaut-based blue pigments (cobalt blue) hae been uised syne auncient times for jewelry an pents, an tae impairt a distinctive blue tint tae gless, but the colour wis later thocht bi alchemists tae be due tae the kent metal bismuth. Miners haed lang uised the name kobold ure (German for goblin ure) for some o the blue-pigment producin minerals; thay war sae named acause thay war puir in kent metals, an gae pushionous arsenic-containin fumes whan smeltit. In 1735, sic ures war foond tae be reducible tae a new metal (the first diskivert syne ancient times), an this wis ultimately named for the kobold.

The day, some cobaut is produced speceefically frae ane o a nummer o metallic-lustered ures, sic as for example cobaltite (CoAsS). The element is houiver mair uisually produced as a bi-product o capper an nickel minin. The capper belt in the Democratic Republic o the Congo (DRC) an Zambie yields maist o the global cobalt production. The DRC alane accountit for mair nor 50% o warld production in 2016 (123,000 tonnes), accordin tae Natural Resources Canada.^[4]

Cobalt is primarily uised in the manufactur o magnetic, wear-resistant an heich-strenth alloys. The compoonds cobaut silicate an cobaut(II) aluminate (CoAl₂O₄, cobaut blue) gie a distinctive deep blue colour tae gless, ceramics, inks, pents an varnishes. Cobaut occurs naiturally as anerly ane stable isotope, cobalt-59. Cobalt-60 is a commercially important radioisotope, uised as a radioactive tracer an for the production o heich energy gamma rays.

Cobalt is the active centre o a group of coenzymes cried cobalamins. veetamin B₁₂, the best-kent example of the teep, is an essential veetamin for aw ainimals. Cobaut in inorganic form is an aw a micronutrient for bacteria, algae, an fungi.