Mesoproterozoic juvenile crust in microcontinents of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt: evidence from oxygen and hafnium isotopes in zircon.

See more Hafnium products. Hafnium (atomic symbol: Hf, atomic number: 72) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 6 element with an atomic weight of 178.49. The number of electrons in each of Hafnium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 32, 10, 2 and its electron configuration is [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d² 6s². The hafnium atom has a radius of 159 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 212 pm. Hafnium was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869 but it was not until 1922 that it was first isolated Dirk Coster and George de Hevesy. In its elemental form, hafnium has a lustrous silvery-gray appearance. Hafnium does not exist as a free element in nature. It is found in zirconium compounds such as zircon. Hafnium is often a component of superalloys and circuits used in semiconductor device fabrication. Its name is derived from the Latin word Hafnia, meaning Copenhagen, where it was discovered.

See more Zirconium products. Zirconium (atomic symbol: Zr, atomic number: 40) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 91.224. The number of electrons in each of Zirconium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 10, 2 and its electron configuration is [Kr]4d² 5s². The zirconium atom has a radius of 160 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 186 pm. Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 and first isolated by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1824. In its elemental form, zirconium has a silvery white appearance that is similar to titanium. Zirconium's principal mineral is zircon (zirconium silicate). Zirconium is commercially produced as a byproduct of titanium and tin mining and has many applications as a opacifier and a refractory material. It is not found in nature as a free element. The name of zirconium comes from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium, and from the Persian wordzargun, meaning gold-like.