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Zirconium

Zirconium is a chemical element with the atomic number 40 and symbol Zr. It is a lustrous gray-white transition metal resembling titanium and is very corrosion resistant, used mostly in nuclear reactors due to its special qualities. When finely divided (shaved or powdered) it can spontaneously ignite, particularly at high temperatures. Some forms of zirconium are also gemstones; its oxide can be processed into cubic zirconia, a simulated diamond.

It has a number of other uses: the chemical industry uses it as piping for corrosive environments; it makes a good military incendiary; Zirconia, an impure zirconium oxide, is used to make laboratory crucibles resistant to heat shock. Because zirconium is easily tolerated by human tissues, it is also often used in biocompatible implants that are highly invasive to the body, such as artificial joints, and those that are attached, such as artificial limbs.

Zirconium is never found freely in nature; instead, the primary source of zirconium is zirconium silicate, found all over the world. Zirconium is not toxic, and it has no biological role.

Web Resources On Zirconium

Periodic Table: Zirconium
History of Zirconium

Book Resources On Zirconium

Chemical Thermodynamics of Zirconium by Perrone & Illemassne (ed)
Titanium and Zirconium in Organic Synthesis by Snieckus & Marek (ed)

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