Alumina
A company that manufactures gene sequencing machines and was forced by regulators to unwind its merger with Grail.
First Mentioned
1/7/2026, 3:41:39 AM
Last Updated
1/7/2026, 3:43:14 AM
Research Retrieved
1/7/2026, 3:43:14 AM
Summary
Alumina, primarily known as the chemical compound aluminum oxide (Al2O3), is a versatile material refined from bauxite through the Bayer process. It serves as the fundamental feedstock for aluminum metal production, accounting for approximately 90% of its global use, while also being valued as an abrasive and refractory material due to its extreme hardness and high melting point. In a corporate context, Alumina was recently involved in a high-profile merger and acquisition attempt with the healthcare company Grail. This deal was ultimately forced to unwind following intense regulatory scrutiny from the FTC, EU, and UK, serving as a prominent example of the increasing 'chilling effect' that aggressive M&A regulation has on venture capital exits and the broader technology market.
Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
Density
3.9 grams per cubic centimeter
Hardness
9 on the Mohs scale
Melting Point
2017 to 2072 degrees Celsius
Chemical Formula
Al2O3
Natural Mineral Form
Corundum (including Ruby and Sapphire)
Primary Raw Material
Bauxite
Thermal Conductivity
30 Watts per meter-kelvin
Annual Global Production
Approximately 115 million tonnes (as of 2015)
Timeline
- Annual global production of aluminium oxide reached approximately 115 million tonnes. (Source: Wikipedia)
2015-12-31
- The forced unwinding of the Alumina-Grail deal was highlighted in the All-In Podcast as a key example of regulatory pressure stifling large-scale venture capital exits. (Source: d6ad65b4-1ee6-41ad-b655-1afeb7fa17c9)
2023-12-18
Wikipedia
View on WikipediaAluminium oxide
Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides, and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly called alumina and may also be called aloxide, aloxite, ALOX or alundum in various forms and applications and alumina is refined from bauxite. It occurs naturally in its crystalline polymorphic phase α-Al2O3 as the mineral corundum, varieties of which form the precious gemstones ruby and sapphire, which have an alumina content approaching 100%. Al2O3 is used as feedstock to produce aluminium metal, as an abrasive owing to its hardness, and as a refractory material owing to its high melting point.
Web Search Results
- Aluminum Oxide - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Aluminum oxide is an amphoteric oxide of aluminum with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is also commonly referred to as alumina. Aluminum oxide is an electrical insulator but has a relatively high thermal conductivity (30 Wm−1 K−1) for a ceramic material. Annual world production of alumina is approximately 45 million tons and over 90 percent of which is used in the manufacture of aluminum metal. The major uses of specialty aluminum oxides are in refractories, ceramics, and polishing and abrasive [...] Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is a compound of oxygen and aluminum and is commonly known as alumina. It is white in color and has an amorphous structure. It is an odorless material obtained by refining bauxite using Bayer’s process . It has a density of 3.9 g/cm3, compression strength of 2–4 GPa, tensile strength up to 630 MPa, and melting point of 20172°C [22,23]. Al2O3 is chemically inert and finds its applications such as kilns (clay ware). Because of its hardness, it is used to make abrasives for [...] Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3) is commonly called alumina. Because of the use of aluminum oxide as abrasives in polishing operations, a large number of different particle size ranges are available, which give fluorocoating formulators a lot of flexibility. Many companies produce these materials. Nanophase Technologies Corporation (NTC) has developed the physical vapor synthesis process producing aluminum oxide nanoparticle called NanoTek™ and NanoDur™ alumina. NanoTek™ is nominally a 48 nm particle
- Aluminium oxide - Wikipedia
Aluminium oxide (or aluminium(III) oxide) is a chemical compound of aluminium and oxygen with the chemical formula Al2O3. It is the most commonly occurring of several aluminium oxides "Aluminium oxide (compounds)"), and specifically identified as aluminium oxide. It is commonly called alumina and may also be called aloxide, aloxite, ALOX or alundum in various forms and applications and alumina is refined from bauxite. It occurs naturally in its crystalline polymorphic "Polymorphism (materials [...] Known as alpha alumina in materials science, and as alundum (in fused form) or aloxite in mining and ceramic communities, aluminium oxide finds wide use. Annual global production of aluminium oxide in 2015 was approximately 115 million tonnes, over 90% of which was used in the manufacture of aluminium metal. The major uses of speciality aluminium oxides are in refractories, ceramics, polishing and abrasive applications. Large tonnages of aluminium hydroxide, from which alumina is derived, are [...] Aluminium oxide is used for its hardness and strength. Its naturally occurring form, corundum, is a 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness (just below diamond). It is widely used as an abrasive, including as a much less expensive substitute for industrial diamond. Many types of sandpaper use aluminium oxide crystals. In addition, its low heat retention and low specific heat make it widely used in grinding operations, particularly cutoff tools. As the powdery abrasive mineral aloxite, it is a
- Alumina | Properties, Uses & Production Process - Britannica
alumina, synthetically produced aluminum oxide, Al2O3, a white or nearly colourless crystalline substance that is used as a starting material for the smelting of aluminum metal. It also serves as the raw material for a broad range of advanced ceramic products and as an active agent in chemical processing. [...] Activated alumina is a porous, granular substance that is used as a substrate for catalysts and as an adsorbent for removing water from gases and liquids. Smelter-grade alumina accounts for 90 percent of all alumina produced; it is transported to aluminum plants, where it is electrolyzed into aluminum metal. Calcined alumina is made into a variety of ceramic products, including spark-plug insulators, integrated-circuit packages, bone and dental implants, laboratory ware, sandpaper grits and [...] Alumina is made from bauxite, a naturally occurring ore containing variable amounts of hydrous (water-containing) aluminum oxides. Free Al2O3 occurs in nature as the mineral corundum and its gemstone forms, sapphire and ruby; these can be produced synthetically from alumina and in fact are occasionally referred to as alumina, but the term is more properly limited to the material employed in aluminum metallurgy, industrial ceramics, and chemical processing.
- Aluminum Oxide | Al2O3 | Alumina | Ceramic Material
Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3), often abbreviated as Alumina, is one of the most popular fine ceramic material families worldwide. Encompassing a range of grades – characterized primarily by purity – coarse and dense alumina is renowned as one of the greatest materials in terms of price-to-performance ratios. Aluminum Oxide ceramics can subsequently service one of the broadest industrial cross-sections of any oxide ceramic on the market. ## Aluminum Oxide: Grades, Formats & Bonding Types [...] Saint-Gobain, with a deep understanding of the chemical behaviors of technical ceramics, manufactures a wide and versatile range of alumina products that routinely meet customer requirements. The wide-ranging chemical availability of aluminum oxide makes it an extremely versatile fine ceramic suitable for demanding conditions and applications. As a result, alumina can be tailored for high performance in extremely demanding conditions and applications. [...] Aluminum Oxide (Alumina) is the most frequently used oxide ceramic material and its applications are extremely broad. Read on to find out more. Read more
- Alumina - Aluminium Oxide - Al2O3 - A Refractory Ceramic ... - AZoM
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Wikidata
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Location Data
Alumina, Каракај, Ulice, Grad Zvornik, Република Српска / Republika Srpska, Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина
Coordinates: 44.4189978, 19.1136649
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