Discovery Information
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Who: Martin Klaproth |
When: 1789 |
Where: Germany |
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Name Origin
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From the mineral zircon |
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Sources
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Zirconium is never found in nature as a free metal. Found in many minerals such as zircon and baddeleyite. |
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Uses
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Used in alloys such as zircaloy which is used in nuclear applications since it does not readily absorb neutrons. Also used in catalytic converters, percussion caps and furnace bricks. Baddeleyite is used in lab crucibles. Zirconium nitride
(ZrN) has been used more recently as an alternative to titanium nitride for coating drill bits. Both coatings are supposed to keep the bit sharper and cooler during cutting.
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Extensively used by the chemical industry for piping in corrosive environments. |
Because human tissues can easily tolerate this metal it is suitable for biocompatible implants, eg. some artificial joints
and limbs.
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When alloyed with niobium, zirconium becomes superconductive at low temperatures and is used to make superconductive magnets with possible large-scale
electrical power uses.
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Notes
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This element has been detected in the sun and meteorites. Lunar rock samples brought back from several Apollo program missions
to the moon have a very high zirconium oxide content relative to terrestrial rocks.
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Compounds containing zirconium are not noted for toxicity. The metal dust can ignite in air and should be regarded as a major fire
and explosion hazard.
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