Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

Deville process

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated January 23, 2026

The Deville process, also known as the Sainte-Claire Deville process, was the first industrial process used to produce aluminium. It involves reacting sodium metal with aluminium chloride. It was developed by Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville in 1854. Aluminium produced using the Deville process typically contains 1% iron and 0.75% silicon.

Watch videos about Deville processExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Deville process”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

History of aluminium

Aluminium metal is very rare in native form, and the process to refine it from ores is complex, so for most of human history it was unknown. However, the compound alum has been known since the 5th century BCE and was used extensively by the ancients for dyeing.

Wöhler process

The Wöhler process was one of the first routes for producing aluminium metal. It involves the reduction of anhydrous aluminium chloride with potassium, produced powdered aluminium: AlCl3 + 3 K → Al + 3 KCl With advent of more efficient means of electrolysis, e.g., Hall-Héroult process, the Wöhler process and related chemical-based routes became obsolete.

Hall-Héroult process

The Hall-Héroult process is the major industrial process for smelting aluminium. It involves dissolving aluminium oxide (obtained most often from bauxite, aluminium's chief ore, through the Bayer process) in molten cryolite and electrolyzing the molten salt bath, typically in a purpose-built cell.