INTRODUCTION
Zirconium was discovered in a gemstone in 1789, and isolated in 1824.Zirconium is never found free in nature; it occurs chiefly as a silicate in the mineral zircon and as an oxide in the mineral baddeleyite, which is found in commercial quantities in Brazil.
It exists in two forms: the crystalline form, a soft, white, ductile metal; and the amorphous form, a bluish-black powder. Both forms are insoluble in water, slightly soluble in alcohol, and completely soluble in hydrofluoric acid.
BASIC INFORMATIONS
- Atomic Number
- 40
- Atomic Mass
- 91.224
- Atomic radius
- 0.145
- Ionization energy
- 674
- Electronic config
- 2,8,18,10,2
- Principal Valency
- +2
- Density g/cm³
- 6.51
- Melting point °C
- 1855
- Boiling point °C
- 4409
- Type of Element
- Metal
- Electronegativity
- 1.4
- Element Category
- Titanium Group
- Appearance
- White solid
- Block
- d-block
- Period
- 5
- Group
- 4
- No of Isotopes
- 33
- Occurrence
- Combine form
- Abundance in ppm
- 162
- Year of Discovery
- 1789
EXTRACTION
It is obtain by reduction of its compound
OXIDATION STATES
+4,+3,+2,+1 (Amphoteric)
MAJOR SOURCE
zircon, baddeleyite
EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND PRESENT
Zirconyl nitrate
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE
* Zirconium is used in the manufacture of steel, porcelain, certain nonferrous alloys, and refractories.
* It is used in vacuum tubes to remove traces of gases since it combines readily with oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen at high temperatures
* It is used in heat exchangers, pump housings, valves, and other equipment subject to corrosion by acids.
* Zircaloy-2 and Zircaloy-4 are used in nuclear reactors as a cladding material for uranium-fuel elements and as a structural material.
