The rate of oxidation of high‐purity aluminum, melted in vacuum at temperatures from 660° to 850°C and oxidized in dry oxygen, is strongly influenced by the initial surface conditions of the solid samples. The oxidation of aluminum in dry oxygen is characterized by a logarithmic oxide growth at temperatures ≤700°C, while at temperatures near 750°C, a modified parabolic oxidation law is obeyed. The disarray theory of Davies, Evans, and Agar is cited to account for the logarithmic oxide growth, while the parabolic controlled oxidation is attributed to the diffusion of aluminum ions through the eta‐alumina oxide film to the oxide‐gas interface. The activation energy for the diffusion controlled oxidation reaction is estimated to be 99 kcal/mole. A possible relationship between morphology and the kinetics of oxide growth on molten aluminum is presented in view of the correlation between data from the present work and that taken from the literature concerning the morphology of oxide growth on molten aluminum