Zirconium Information
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Zirconium Element
Zirconium is a chemical element
with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name zirconium is taken from the
name of the mineral zircon (the word is related to Persian zargun (zircon;
zar-gun, "gold-like" or "as gold")), the most important
source of zirconium.[5] It is a lustrous, grey-white, strong transition metal
that closely resembles hafnium and, to a lesser extent, titanium. Zirconium is
mainly used as a refractory and opacifier, although small amounts are used as
an alloying agent for its strong resistance to corrosion. Zirconium forms a
variety of inorganic and organometallic compounds such as zirconium dioxide and
zirconocene dichloride, respectively. Five isotopes occur naturally, three of
which are stable. Zirconium compounds have no known biological role
Zirconium is a very strong,
malleable, ductile, lustrous silver-gray metal. Its chemical and physical
properties are similar to those of titanium. Zirconium is extremely resistant
to heat and corrosion. Zirconium is lighter than steel and its hardness is
similar to copper. When it is finely divided, the metal can spontaneously
ignite in air, especially at high temperatures. Zirconium powder is black and
is regarded as very dangerous fire hazard. Zirconium does not dissolve in acids
and alkalis.
Zirconium is used in alloys
such as zircaloy, which is used in nuclear applications since it does not
readily absorb neutrons. Also used in catalytic converters, percussion caps and
furnace bricks. Baddeleyite and impure zirconium (zirconia) are used in lab
crucibles.
The major end uses of zircon
(ZrSiO4) are refractories, ceramic opacification and foundry sands. Zircon is
also marketed as a natural gemstone used in jewelry. The metal also has many
other uses, among them in photographic flashbulbs and surgical instruments, to
make the glass for television, in the removal of residual gases from electronic
vacuum tubes, and as a hardening agent in alloys, especially steel. The paper
and packaging industries are finding that zirconium compounds make good surface
coatings because they have excellent water resistance and strength.
Zirconium is not a particularly
rare element but because its most common mineral, zircon, is highly resistant
to weatering it is only slightly mobile in the environment. Zirconium is more
than twice as abundant as copper and zinc and more than 10 times more abundant
than lead.
The chief ores are zircon
(ZrSiO4), which is mined in Australia, USA and Sri Lanka, and baddeleyite
(Zirconium oxide ZrO2) which is mined in Brasil. World production is in excess
of 900.000 tonnes per year of zircon, and 7000 tonnes of the metal are
produced. The estimated reserves exceed a billion tonnes. Australia, South
Africa, India, Sri Lanka and the USA have vast deposits of zircon and zirconia
sands.
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