Zirconium is used as an alloying agent for its strong resistance
to corrosion. It is never found as a native metal; it is obtained
mainly from the mineral zircon, which can be purified with
chlorine. Zirconium is a lustrous, grayish-white, soft, ductile,
and malleable metal which is solid at room temperature, though it
becomes hard and brittle at lower purities. In powder form,
zirconium is highly flammable, but the solid form is far less prone
to ignition. Zirconium is highly resistant to corrosion by
alkali’s, acids, salt water, and other agents.
Because of zirconium's excellent resistance to corrosion, it is
often used as an alloying agent in materials that are exposed to
corrosive agents, such as surgical appliances, explosive primers,
vacuum tube getters and filaments. Zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) is used
in laboratory crucibles, metallurgical furnaces, as a refractory
material, and it can be sintered into a ceramic knife. Zircon
(ZrSiO4) is cut into gemstones for use in jewelry. Finally (for
this cache purpose at least), Zirconium carbonate
(3ZrO2•CO2•H2O) was used in lotions to treat poison ivy,
but this was discontinued because it occasionally caused bad skin
reactions.
N 38° 34.ABC
A) Zirconium has a concentration of about
1(A)0 mg/kg within the earth's crust and about 0.026 µg/L in
sea water, though it is never found in nature as a native
metal.
B) The zirconium-containing mineral zircon,
or its variations (jargoon, hyacinth, jacinth, ligure), were
mentioned in biblical writings. The mineral was not known to
contain a new element until 1(B)89, when Martin Heinrich
Klaproth, a German chemist, analyzed a jargoon from the island of
Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the Indian Ocean. He named the new
element Zirkonerde (zirconia).
C) The CAS registry number for Zirconium is
7440-(C)7-7.
W 121° 19.DEF
D) Zirconium is a chemical element with the
symbol Zr and atomic number on the Periodic Table of 4(D).
(Hey, I have a good friend who LOVES this number!)
E) 7 is your answer here
F) Zirconium has a melting point of
1(F)55° C.
Please make sure you replace as you find it (with a little ink
on the log that is).
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.
As always, Enjoy