Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40.
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17 Facts About Zirconium
2.
Zirconium is mainly used as a refractory and opacifier, although small amounts are used as an alloying agent for its strong resistance to corrosion.
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3.
Zirconium is a lustrous, greyish-white, soft, ductile, malleable metal that is solid at room temperature, though it is hard and brittle at lesser purities.
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4.
Zirconium is highly resistant to corrosion by alkalis, acids, salt water and other agents.
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5.
Zirconium occurs in more than 140 other minerals, including the commercially useful ores baddeleyite and eudialyte.
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6.
Zirconium is relatively abundant in S-type stars, and it has been detected in the sun and in meteorites.
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7.
Zirconium is a by-product of the mining and processing of the titanium minerals ilmenite and rutile, as well as tin mining.
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8.
Zirconium metal is much more expensive than zircon because the reduction processes are costly.
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9.
Zirconium tungstate has the unusual property of shrinking in all dimensions when heated, whereas most other substances expand when heated.
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10.
Zirconium-containing mineral zircon and related minerals were mentioned in biblical writings.
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11.
Zirconium metal was first obtained in an impure form in 1824 by Berzelius by heating a mixture of potassium and potassium zirconium fluoride in an iron tube.
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12.
Zirconium dioxide is used in laboratory crucibles, in metallurgical furnaces, and as a refractory material.
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13.
Zirconium dioxide is a component in some abrasives, such as grinding wheels and sandpaper.
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14.
Zirconium is a constituent of the uranium zirconium hydride nuclear fuel used in TRIGA reactors.
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15.
Zirconium-bearing compounds are used in many biomedical applications, including dental implants and crowns, knee and hip replacements, middle-ear ossicular chain reconstruction, and other restorative and prosthetic devices.
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16.
Zirconium carbonate was used in lotions to treat poison ivy but was discontinued because it occasionally caused skin reactions.
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17.
Zirconium is widely distributed in nature and is found in all biological systems, for example: 2.
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