chemical symbol, short notation 

derived from the scientific name of a chemical

element—e.g., S for sulfur and Si for silicon. Sometimes the symbol is derived from the
Latin name—e.g., Au for aurum, gold, and Na for natrium, sodium. The present
chemical symbols express the systematizing of chemistry by the atomic theory of matter.
The English chemist John Dalton, who followed the alchemists in representing the
elements pictorially, made the important advance of letting his symbols designate single
atoms of elements, not indefinite amounts.

The Scottish chemist Thomas Thomson was the first to use letters as chemical symbols
in the article “Mineralogy” in the Supplement (1801) to the 3rd edition of
the Encyclopædia Britannica. The Swedish scientist J.J. Berzelius proposed in 1813 that
chemical symbols be based on the Latin names of the elements, a proposal generally
adopted by the mid-19th century.
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zirconium
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zirconium
chemical element
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Alternate titles: Zr
By The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Article History
Table of Contents
zirconium
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Key People:
 
Jöns Jacob Berzelius Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Related Topics:
 
chemical element transition metal hafnium
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Summary
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zirconium (Zr), chemical element, metal of Group 4 (IVb) of the periodic table, used
as a structural material for nuclear reactors.
Element Properties
atomic number 40

atomic weight 91.22

melting point 1,852 °C (3,366 °F)

boiling point 3,578 °C (6,472 °F)

specific gravity 6.49 at 20 °C (68 °F)

oxidation state +4
 electron
[Kr]4d25s2
configuration

Properties, occurrence, and uses

zirconium
Zirconium, obscure before the late 1940s, became a significant engineering material
for nuclear energy applications because it is highly transparent to neutrons. The element
was identified (1789) in zircon, ZrSiO4 (zirconium orthosilicate), from its oxide by the
German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth, and the metal was isolated (1824) in impure
form by the Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius. The impure metal, even when 99
percent pure, is hard and brittle. The white, soft, malleable, and ductile metal of higher
purity was first produced in quantity (1925) by the Dutch chemists Anton E. van Arkel
and J.H. de Boer by the thermal decomposition of zirconium tetraiodide, ZrI 4. In the
early 1940s, William Justin Kroll of Luxembourg developed his cheaper process of
making the metal based on the reduction of zirconium tetrachloride, ZrCl 4,
by magnesium. In the early 21st century, leading producers of zirconium included
Australia, South Africa, China, and Indonesia; Mozambique, India, and Sri Lanka were
additional producers.

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Zirconium is relatively abundant in Earth’s crust, but not in concentrated deposits, and
is characteristically observed in S-type stars. The mineral zircon, which is generally
found in alluvial deposits in stream beds, ocean beaches, or old lake beds, is the only
commercial source of zirconium. Baddeleyite, which is essentially pure zirconium
dioxide, ZrO2, is the only other important zirconium mineral, but the commercial
product is more cheaply recovered from zircon. Zirconium is produced by the same
process as that used for titanium. These zirconium minerals generally have
a hafnium content that varies from a few tenths of 1 percent to several percent. For some
purposes separation of the two elements is not important: zirconium containing about 1
percent of hafnium is as acceptable as pure zirconium.

The most important use of zirconium is in nuclear reactors for cladding fuel rods, for
alloying with uranium, and for reactor-core structures because of
its unique combination of properties. Zirconium has good strength at elevated
temperatures, resists corrosion from the rapidly circulating coolants, does not form
highly radioactive isotopes, and withstands mechanical damage
from neutron bombardment. Hafnium, present in all zirconium ores, must be
scrupulously removed from the metal intended for reactor uses because hafnium
strongly absorbs thermal neutrons.

Separation of hafnium and zirconium is generally accomplished by a liquid-liquid

countercurrent-extraction procedure. In