What is Zirconium?
Zirconium is a chemical element that belongs to the transition metal group. It shares the same properties as titanium. It is characterized by its lustrous grey-white color. It is used in various applications, and you’ll be able to know more about this precious element in this article.
Where is Zirconium obtained?
Zirconium is found in around 30 mineral species such as baddeleyite and zircon. It is commercially produced by converting zircon to zirconium chloride. It will then be reduced using magnesium. More than 1.5 million tons of zirconium are mined every year in countries like Brazil, South Africa, Australia, India, and the United States.
History of Zirconium
The discovery of zirconium dates to ancient times and at that time gems that have zirconium were referred to as zircon. A German chemist, Martin Klaproth, deeply analyzed a particular zircon in 1789. He was able to successfully separate zirconium in ZrO2 oxide. However, he was unable to isolate the pure metal. It was in 1824 when the successful isolation of the element happened.
Jöns Berzelius, a Swedish chemist heated potassium hexafluorozirconate using potassium and was able to get a powder form of zirconium from it. A pure form of zirconium was produced by Jan Hendrik de Boer and Anton Eduard van Arkel, both Dutch chemists in 1925. They did it by decomposing zirconium tetraiodide.
Classification, Properties, and Characteristics of Zirconium
Zirconium is a metal characterized by its grayish-white luster. It is ductile and malleable in pure form but gets hard and brittle when has impurities. It has the ability to resist corrosion when exposed to water, acids, salt, and alkalis. It dissolves when exposed to sulfuric or hydrochloric acid. In solid form, it is relatively small, but the powder form can ignite when exposed to the air.
Lewis Dot Structure of Zirconium
Bohr’s Atomic Model
Atomic Data of Zirconium
Physical Properties of Zirconium
| Color | Silver-gray |
| Odor | Odorless |
| Taste | Tasteless |
| Atomic Mass | 91.224 |
| Weight | 91.22 |
| Density | 6.52 |
| Atomic Radius | 2.23 Å |
| Ionization Energy | 640.074kJ mol−1 |
| Covalent Radius | 1.64Å |
| Ionic Radius | 0.08 nm (+4) |
| Electronic Gain Enthalpy | 41.103 kJ mol−1 |
| Electron Negativity | 1.33 |
| Electron Affinity | 41.103 kJ mol−1 |
| Melting Point | 1854°C, 3369°F, 2127 K |
| Boiling Point | 4406°C, 7963°F, 4679 K |
Chemical Properties of Zirconium
| Atomic Number | 40 |
| Group | 4 |
| Period | 5 |
| Block | d |
| Electronic Configuration | [Kr]4d25s2 |
| Combustion | Highly flammable in dust, granule, and powder form |
| Chemical Reactivity | Reactive |
| Valency of Element | 2 |
Different States of Zirconium
Zirconium, as a transition metal, is solid at room temperature. It does melt once the desired temperature is reached.
Uses of Zirconium
- It is used in nuclear power stations because it does not absorb neutrons. Nuclear reactors have over 100,000 meters of alloy tubing made from zirconium.
- It is used to make superconducting magnets.
- It is widely used in the chemical industry primarily because zirconium comes with a thin oxide layer making it resistant to corrosion.
- It is used in making ceramics and crucibles because of its ability to withstand heat shock.
- Zirconium is one of the components of foundry bricks, furnace linings, and abrasives.
- The ultra-strong quality of zirconium makes it ideal to use in making knives and scissors.
- Some antiperspirants, cosmetic products, microwave filters, and food packaging contain zirconium.
- It is used for glazing pottery. Zircon is mixed with vanadium to form yellow or blue pigment.
- It is used to make jewelry because it resembles diamonds.
- Zirconium is used to make surgical instruments, photographic flashbulbs, and glass for television.
- Zirconium is used to get rid of residual gases from electronic vacuum tubes.
- Zirconium compound in the form of zirconium carbonate is combined with urushiol to make poison ivy lotions.
Price of Zirconium
The cost of zirconium is dependent on supply and demand. Pure zirconium costs around $150 per 100 grams. The cost is cheaper if you purchase in bulk.
Interesting facts about Zirconium
- Don’t you know that zirconium was the name for the mineral zircon? It comes from the Persian word “zargun”, which means gold-like.
- Don’t you know that there are 78 million tons of global zirconium reserves?
- South Africa and Australia have the largest shares of the world’s zirconium reserves. Other countries that contributed are Indonesia, Mozambique, and India.
- Although zircon and diamond look very much alike, they greatly differ in price. It’s obvious that diamonds are more expensive. Some merchants and manufacturers use zircon to achieve the same luster as diamonds. They intentionally deceive people to make a huge profit. To be able to distinguish diamonds, you must know how to spot them using your naked eyes. One of the characteristics of a diamond is lipophilic. You will know if it is a diamond by leaving unbroken marks on the diamond using a ballpoint pen. The unbroken clear mark isn’t observed in zircon.
- Zircon is also known as ligure, jacinth, hyacinth, and jargon.
- You can find zirconium in S-type stars. It is also identified in meteorites and the sun.
- Zirconium in powder form is highly flammable.
- Don’t you know that you cannot find zirconium in nature in metallic form? It is because it is reactive with water.
- In a flame test, Zirconium salts burn a pale red flame.
- Don’t you know that about 250 mg of zirconium is present in the human body? Foods high in zirconium include whole wheat, brown rice, beef, spinach, and eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Does zirconium used in dentistry break easily?
Zirconium is ultra-strong, but a crown made from zirconia can break easily. The key to making it less prone to breakage is following the proper thickness rules. It takes so many skills and knowledge to create the best dental crown using zirconia.
Q2. What is zirconium resistant to?
Zirconium has the ability to resist corrosion. It is resistant to salt solutions, organic and inorganic acids, molten salts, and strong alkalis. It is the reason why zirconium is widely used in various applications.
Q3. Is zirconium poisonous?
The majority of zirconium compounds have low toxicity and it is linked to poor solubility. Although you should be wary because some zirconium compounds are irritants. A perfect example is zirconium tetrachloride. There are incidents of skin and lung granulomas and they have been linked to prolonged exposure to zirconium tetrachloride.
Q4. How strong is zirconium?
Zirconium is almost indestructible. It is one of the materials used in dentistry because it can withstand vigorous biting and chewing. In fact, it is stronger than porcelain. The toughness of zirconium is also the reason why it is used in many industries.
Q5. Is zirconium natural or synthetic?
Zircon is a natural gemstone. Although lab-made cubic zirconia is manmade. Although natural zircon is more expensive than the ones created in the lab.
References
- https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/40/zirconium
- https://www.britannica.com/science/zirconium
- https://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/zr.htm
- https://www.livescience.com/34610-zirconium.html
- https://www.thoughtco.com/zirconium-facts-606622
- https://www.chemicool.com/elements/zirconium.html
- https://byjus.com/chemistry/zirconium/
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-zirconium-uses-facts-properties-discovery.html
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Zirconium
- https://www.schoolmykids.com/learn/periodic-table/zr-zirconium