Zirconium was first isolated in an impure form by Jöns Jakob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, in 1824. Zirconium got its name from the Persian word zargun or gold-like. It is never found as a native metal, but is instead obtained mainly from the minerals zircon (ZrSiO4) and baddeleyite (ZrO2).
Zirconium is a lustrous, very strong, malleable, ductile, silver-gray metal. It is solid at room temperature, though it becomes hard and brittle at lower purities. Lighter than steel, it' hardness is similar to copper, and it is extremely resistant to heat and corrosion by alkalis, acids, salt water, and other agents. However, it will dissolve in hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, especially when fluorine is present. When it is finely divided, it can spontaneously ignite in air
APPLICATIONS OF ZIRCONIUM
Energy: Ninety per cent of all zirconium produced is used in nuclear reactors because of its low neutron-capture cross-section and resistance to corrosion. It is the primary component in the zirconium aluminum alloy - ‘zircaloy'.
Science and Medical: Zirconium is often used as an alloying agent in materials that are exposed to corrosive agents because of zirconium's excellent resistance to corrosion (e.g. surgical appliances, explosive primers, vacuum tube getters, filaments, performance pumps and valves). Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) or zirconia is used in laboratory crucibles, metallurgical furnaces, and as a refractory material (e.g. furnace bricks). Zirconium is also a component in some abrasives, such as grinding wheels and sandpaper. Also used as a hardening agent in alloys, especially steel, and in catalytic converters and percussion caps.
Zirconium dioxide has exceptional fracture toughness and chemical resistance, especially in its cubic form. These properties make zirconia useful as a thermal barrier coating, and stabilized with yttrium it is also a common artificial diamond substitute. Stabilized zirconia is used for surgically implanted artificial joints.
Zirconium alloys are used in space vehicle parts for their resistance to heat, an important quality given the extreme heat associated with atmospheric reentry.
Zirconium oxide also used in dentistry for the crowning of teeth because of its biocompatibility, strength and appearance; Zirconium carbonate once used in lotions to treat poison ivy, but was discontinued as it caused other skin reactions. A continuing big end-use however is in deodorants
Jewellery: Zircon (ZrSiO4) is faceted into gemstones for use in jewelry.
Other uses: Zirconium tungstate is an unusual substance that shrinks in all directions when heated, whereas other elements expand when heated; ZrZn2 is one of only two substances to exhibit superconductivity and ferromagnetism simultaneously (the other being UGe2). The paper and packaging industries are finding that zirconium compounds make good surface coatings because they have excellent water resistance and strength
LINKS: For chemical and physical properties: www.webelements.com or
http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/ele040.html
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