Zirconium (Zr) Dominic Torres-Garcia
What is Zirconium?
- It’s an element on the periodic table.
- Zirconium is the 40th element on the periodic table: Column 4, Row 4. No. 4
- Zirconium comes from the Persian word Zargun. Meaning gold like.
- Symbol: Zr
- Atomic number: 40
- Atomic weight: 91.224
- Melting point: 3371°F/1855°C
- Boiling point: 7968°F/4409°C
- Density:6.2 grams per cubic centimeter
- Element classification: Metal
History
Martin Heinrich Klaproth
- Discovered by Matin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789
- First discovered in Berlin, Germany
- It's a solid
- First isolated* by Jöns Jacob Berzelius in 1824
- Originally in Sri Lanka. Asia
- Found in 5 countries
- Russia, India, Australia, Brazil, and United States
*isolated means separating something from other things.
Jöns Jacob Berzelius
How Berzelius isolated zirconium:
- Heated up potassium and potassium zirconium fluoride.
Uses for Zirconium
Zirconium is used for:
- Can withstand extreme heat.
- Gemstone used as jewelry
- Nuclear power industries
- Was used by military because it was flammable
- Poison ivy lotion
- Surgical appliances.
- Also fake body parts.
Facts
- More than 90% of zirconium is consumed for commercial nuclear power.
- It doesn’t easily absorb neutrons.
Its used in jewelry for its economic value, in clear form it is a transparent gemstone that can be cut to look like a diamond.
- Appearance is Grayish white and Lustrous metal
- Lighter than steel
- As hard as copper.
- Never found in its natural form.
- Zirconium is highly flammable in powder form
Bibliography
- "The Element Zirconium." Jefferson Lab. Steve Gagnon, n.d. Web. 22 May 2016.<http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele040.html>.
- "Facts about zirconium." Live Science. live science, 22 may 2013. Web. 22 May2016. <http://www.livescience.com/34610-zirconium.html>.
- "Zirconium." Kids Net. Kids Net, n.d. Web. 22 May 2016.<http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/zi/Zirconium>.
- Minerals Education Coalition. "Zirconium." Minerals Education Coalition. Minerals Education Coalition, n.d. Web. 26 May 2016. <https://www.mineralseducationcoalition.org/minerals/zirconium>.
- Winter, Mark. "Zirconium:historical information." Webelements. Webelements, 1993. Web 26 May 2016.<http://www.webelements.com/zirconium/history.html>.
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