It is used in poison ivy lotions in the form of the carbonate as it combines with urushiol. Zirconium is used as a getter in vacuum tubes, as an alloying agent in steel, in surgical appliances, photoflash bulbs, explosive primers, rayon spinnerets, lamp filaments, etc. It is used extensively by the chemical industry where corrosive agents are employed. Alloyed with zinc, zirconium becomes magnetic at temperatures below 35°K. Zirconium is exceptionally resistant to corrosion by many common acids and alkalis, by sea water, and by other agents. Zircaloy(R) is an important alloy developed specifically for nuclear applications. Reactor-grade zirconium is essentially free of hafnium. Reactors of the commercial size, now being made, may use as much as a half-million linear feet of zirconium alloy tubing. Commercial nuclear power generation now takes more than 90% of zirconium metal production. Zirconium has a low absorption cross section for neutrons, and is therefore used for nuclear energy applications, such as for cladding fuel elements. Hafnium is invariably found in zirconium ores, and the separation is difficult.Ĭommercial-grade zirconium contains from 1 to 3% hafnium. The inherent toxicity of zirconium compounds is low. The solid metal is much more difficult to ignite. When finely divided, the metal may ignite spontaneously in air, especially at elevated temperatures. Zirconium is produced commercially by reduction of chloride with magnesium (the Kroll Process), and by other methods. Zirconium also occurs in some 30 other recognized mineral species. Zircon, ZrSiO 4, the principal ore, is pure ZrO 2 in crystalline form having a hafnium content of about 1%. Fifteen other isotopes are known to exist. Naturally occurring zirconium contains five isotopes. Analysis of lunar rock samples obtained during the various Apollo missions to the moon show a surprisingly high zirconium oxide content, compared with terrestrial rocks. It is found in abundance in S-type stars, and has been identified in the sun and meteorites. Zirconium is produced from the mineral zircon (ZrSiO 4). The impure metal was first isolated by Berzelius in 1824 by heating a mixture of potassium and potassium zirconium fluoride in a small decomposition process they developed. The mineral was not known to contain a new element until Klaproth, in 1789, analyzed a jargon from Ceylon and identified the new element, which Werner named zircon (silex circonius), and which Klaproth called Zirkonertz (zirconia). This mineral, or its variations, is mentioned in biblical writings. Zircon, the primary gemstone of zirconium, is also known as jargon, hyacinth, jacinth, or ligure. 4, 3, 2, 1, −2 (an amphoteric oxide)įrom the Persian zargun, gold like.
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