{"id":156,"date":"2020-04-09T09:42:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T09:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=156"},"modified":"2023-08-15T16:21:52","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T16:21:52","slug":"zinc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/zinc\/","title":{"rendered":"Zinc (Zn)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Element (Zn)<\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Zinc is a chemical element with the atomic number 30 in the periodic table. It\u2019s the 24<\/span>th<\/span> most abundant element in Earth\u2019s crust. As a member of the transition metals family of elements, zinc is a divalent chemical that forms numerous compounds with wide application in medicine and almost all industrial branches. Today, this non-ferrous base metal is the fourth most commonly used metal after iron, aluminum, and copper.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being an important dietary nutrient, zinc participates in a vast number of vital metabolic and cellular processes in our body. The bioavailability of this mineral is extremely significant for the homeostatic processes of the human body. Zinc deficiency is considered to be one of the <\/span>most common public health problems<\/span><\/a> in the world. [<\/span>Ref.: Zinc deficiency, infectious disease and mortality in the developing world. J Nutr 2003;133:1485S-9S. Prasad AS, Beck FW, Bao B, Snell D, Fitzgerald JT.]<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Zinc<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Symbol<\/td>Zn<\/td><\/tr>
Name<\/td>Zinc<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>30<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic weight<\/td>65.39 g.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Group<\/td>12 (Transition metals)<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>4 (d-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A bluish-white and lustrous metal<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From more than 1.6 milliseconds to 244.26 days<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity<\/td>1.65<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>7.14 g.cm\u22123<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>692.8\u00b0C, 787.149\u00b0F, 692.677 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>1184\u00b0C, 1665\u00b0F, 1180 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.138 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>0.074 nm (+2)<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>30<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>64Zn<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Ar] 3d10 4s2<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>904.5 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the second ionization<\/td>1723 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Discoverer<\/td>Andreas Marggraf<\/td><\/tr>
Year<\/td>1746<\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/td>Germany<\/td><\/tr>
Pronunciation<\/td>ZINK<\/td><\/tr>
Uses<\/td>Used to coat other metals (galvanizing) to protect them from rusting. Also in alloys such as brass, bronze, nickel. Also in solder, cosmetics, and pigments.<\/td><\/tr>
Description<\/td>Soft, blue-white metal.<\/td><\/tr>
Crystal Structure<\/td>Hexagonal<\/td><\/tr>
Covalent Radius<\/td>1.25 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Radius<\/td>1.53 \u00c5<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic Volume<\/td>09.2 cm\u00b3\/mol<\/td><\/tr>
Name Origin<\/td>German: zink (German for tin).<\/td><\/tr>
Oxydation States<\/td>2<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol Zn, atomic number 30, atomic mass of 65.38 g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [Ar] 3d<\/span>10<\/span>4s<\/span>2<\/span>, zinc is a brittle, silvery-white metal at room temperature. It reaches its boiling point at 907\u00b0C, 1665\u00b0F, 1180K, while the melting point is achieved at 419.527\u00b0C, 787.149\u00b0F, 692.677K. When exposed to temperatures that range between 230F (110\u00b0C) and 300F (150\u00b0C), zinc metal becomes more malleable and ductile. In addition, this member of the transition metals family of elements has an electronegativity of 1.6 according to Pauling, whereas the atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.138 nm. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zinc has a hexagonal packed structure and shares similar chemical properties with magnesium<\/a>. It\u2019s a moderately strong conductor of both heat and electricity. When exposed to air, this transition metal reacts with carbon<\/a> dioxide and forms a layer of zinc carbonate that protects the metal and prevents the formation of additional reactions with water or air. Accordingly, zinc possesses strong anti-corrosive properties.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Zinc Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Zinc metal has been around since ancient times. The earliest archaeological evidence points to Switzerland, China, Greece, Cyprus, and Palestine as the first locations where zinc had been used. According to a <\/span>research paper<\/span><\/a> in archeology, this chemical element was mostly used in copper for making brass. The first uncovered <\/span>brass artifacts<\/span><\/a> originate from Babylonia and Assyria (3000 B.C.), and Palestine (1400-1000 B.C.).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To continue with, the first scientifically supported evidence of zinc smelting identifies India on the map of the world as the place where the first zinc smelting in the history of civilization took place during the period from 1100-1500. In the city of Zawar, Rajasthan, the first quantities of zinc were obtained by reducing calamine (zinc carbonate, ZnCO3) with wool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Discovery of Andreas Marggraf <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In contemporary times, the German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf (1709-1782) is considered to be the discoverer of zinc as a chemical element because he was the first scientist to recognize the substance as a new individual chemical. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Berlin-born pioneer of analytical chemistry succeeded in isolating the pure, elemental form of zinc in 1746 by heating a mixture of calamine (a mineral ore of zinc) and carbon. Marggraf was also credited as the first chemist to observe the chemical and physical properties of the element 30 and provide scientific evidence for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Italian physician and physicist Luigi Galvani (the pioneer of bioelectromagnetics) together with his colleague Alessandro Volta (the pioneer of electricity) employed all of their knowledge and experience for further analysis of the new chemical element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 1800, these two great Italian scientists succeeded in determining the electrochemical properties of zinc, which provided the element\u2019s ability to form a corrosion-resistant coating for iron and steel. Today, it\u2019s considered to be one of the most exploited properties of zinc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Zinc Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This chemical element got its name after the old German word \u2018<\/span>zinke<\/span><\/i>\u2019, which means \u2018<\/span>pointed<\/span><\/i>\u2019. This word directly refers to the sharply pointed crystals of zinc that form after the process of smelting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Zinc?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The elemental zinc metal can be found in various minerals, such as hydrozincite, calamine, sphalerite, franklinite, wurtzite, hemimorphite, and smithsonite. Among them, calamine (zinc silicate), sphalerite (zinc sulphide, or blende), and smithsonite (zinc carbonate) are the most frequently mined mineral ores from which zinc can be obtained in a relatively easy process. One of the oldest and easiest methods of producing zinc from the ores is by reducing calamine with carbon or charcoal. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zinc can be also traced in the following mineral formations, often alongside other base metals, such as lead<\/a> and copper<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n