Zirconium information, including Technical Data, Safety Data and its high purity properties, research, applications and other useful facts are discussed below. Scientific facts such as the atomic structure, ionization energy, abundance on Earth, conductivity and thermal properties are included.
Zirconium is primarily used in it's oxide or zirconia form. Zirconium dioxide has a high melting point (2,700° C) and a low thermal conductivity. Its polymorphism, however, restricts its widespread use in ceramic industry. During a heating process, zirconia will undergo a phase transformation process. The change in volume associated with this transformation makes the usage of pure zirconia in many applications impossible. Addition of some oxides, such as CaO, MgO, and Y2O3, into the zirconia structure in a certain degree results in a solid solution, which is a cubic form and has no phase transformation during heating and cooling. This solid solution material is termed as stabilized zirconia, a valuable refractory. Stabilized zirconia is used as a grinding media and engineering ceramics due to its increased hardness and high thermal shock resistivity. Stabilized zirconia is also used in applications such as oxygen sensors and solid oxide fuel cells due to its high oxygen ion conductivity. Zirconium facts, including appearance, CAS #, and molecular formula and safety data, research and properties are
Oxides are available in forms including powders and dense pellets for such uses as optical coating and thin film applications. Oxides tend to be insoluble. Fluorides are another insoluble form for uses in which oxygen is undesirable such as metallurgy, chemical and physical vapor deposition and in some optical coatings. Zirconium is available in soluble forms including chlorides, nitrates and acetates. These compounds are also manufactured as solutions at specified stoichiometries. Zirconium is a Block D, Group 4, Period 5 element. The electronic configuration is [Kr] 4d2 5s2. In its elemental form zirconium's CAS number is 7440-67-7. The zirconium atom has a radius of 159.pm and it's Van der Waals radius is 200.pm.All elemental metals, compounds and solutions may be synthesized in ultra high purity (e.g. 99.999%) for laboratory standards, advanced electronic, metallurgy and optical materials and other high technology advantages. Information is provided for stable (non-radioactive) isotopes. Organo-Metallic Zirconium compounds are soluble in organic or non-aqueous solvents. See Analytical Services for information on available certified chemical and physical analysis techniques including MS-ICP, X-Ray Diffraction, PSD and Surface Area (BET) analysis. Zirconium was first discovered by William Gregor in 1791.
Abundance. The following table shows the abundance of zirconium and each of its naturally occurring isotopes on Earth along with the atomic mass for each isotope. |
zirconium
Zirconium
zirconio
Zircônio
circonio
ZirkoniumIsotope |
Atomic Mass |
% Abundance on Earth |
Zr-90 |
89.904704 |
51.45 |
Zr-91 |
90.905645 |
11.22 |
Zr-92 |
91.905040 |
17.15 |
Zr-94 |
93.906316 |
17.38 |
Zr-96 |
95.908276 |
2.80 |
Safety Data. The safety data for zirconium metal, nanoparticles and its compounds can vary widely depending on the form. For potential hazard information, toxicity, and road, sea and air transportation limitations, such as DOT Hazard Class, DOT Number, EU Number, NFPA Health rating and RTECS Class, please see the specific material or compound referenced in the left margin.
Ionization Energy. The ionization energy for zirconium (the least required energy to release a single electron from the atom in it's ground state in the gas phase) is stated in the following table: |
1st Ionization Energy |
640.08 kJ mol-1 |
2nd Ionization Energy |
1266.86 kJ mol-1 |
3rd Ionization Energy |
2218.21 kJ mol-1 |
Conductivity. As to zirconium's electrical and thermal conductivity, the electrical conductivity measured as to electrical resistivity @ 20 ºC is 42.1 μΩcm and its electronegativities (or its ability to draw electrons relative to other elements) is 1.33. The thermal conductivity of zirconium is 22.7 W m-1 K-1.
Thermal Properties. The melting point and boiling point for zirconium are stated below. The following chart sets forth the heat of fusion, heat of vaporization and heat of atomization. |
Heat of Fusion |
23 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Vaporization |
566.7 kJ mol-1 |
Heat of Atomization |
607.47 kJ mol-1 |
| Formula | Atomic Number | Molecular Weight | Electronegativity (Pauling) | Density | Melting Point | Boiling Point |
Vanderwaals radius |
Ionic radius | Energy of first ionization |
| Zr | 40 | 91.22 g.mol -1 | 1.2 | 6.49 g.cm-3 at 20 °C | 1852 °C | 4400 °C | 200.pm | 0.08 nm (+4) | 640.08 kJ.mol-1 |
| PRODUCT CATALOG | U.S. Operations | Submicron & Nanopowder | Tolling | Ultra High Purity | Sputtering Target | Crystal Growth | Rod, Plate, Powder, etc. | Foil |
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