Cobalt (Co) is a hard and lustrous metal and is mainly obtained as a by product of nickel and copper mining activities. Cobalt is used in the preparation of magnetic, wear-resistant, and high-strength alloys.
Smalted (cobalt silicate glass) and cobalt blue (cobalt aluminate, CoAl2O4) gives a distinctive deep blue color to glass, ceramics, inks, paints, and varnishes. Cobalt-60 is a commercially important radioisotope, used as a tracer and in the production of gamma rays for industrial use Cobalt, in small quantities, can be found in many rocks, plants and animals, as well as within soil.