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ZIRCONIUM (Zr) ​

Zirconium is a solid, chemical element,with its symbol being Zr, and its atomic number being 40.It mainly comes from the mineral zircon. It is a strong metal that resembles Titanium. It has been identified in the sun and in meteorites. Various Apollo missionIs to the moon have shown a suprisingly high zirconium oxide content. It is of about 99.6% purity and is available at about $150 per kg. It was also first made an element in 1789.

Zirconium is a greyish/white/silver colour, which issolid at room temperature. When in powder form, it is highly flammable, but the solid version is not. It is highly resistant to various acids and salt water, and is considered to be non-toxic. The melting point of Zirconium is 1855 degrees celcius.

The element is used to make various things. Some of those things include being used in surgical instruments, in pipes, in the chemical industry and in magnets. Some other uses for zirconium include the glass in a television, in jewlery as a substitute to diamonds, use to be used in lotions to treat ivy, and is also used in space viechles. Zirconium is very poor at absorbing neutrons. Its therefore used in nuclear energy aplications, such as in the outer layer of fuel rods.

The Lithium zirconate in zironium can also be used to absorb carbon dioxide, once released into the atmosphere. This may be extremely useful in adressing carbon dioxide issues in the enviroment. Zirconium unlikely to be a threat to the enviroment. Plants have little tendency and 70% of plants that have been tested showed no zirconium to be present at all. Zirconium levels in the human body are also very low. The average human body only contains approximately 1 milligram of zirconium.

Zirconium is never found in nature as a native metal. The main source of zirconium is zircon, which can be found in Australia, India, Brazil, South Africa, The United States and Russia and 80% of that comes from Australia and South Africa. The average world wide production of zirconium each year is 900,000 tons. Since 2003, zirconium prices have increased rapidly. In conclusion, Zirconium is a very versitile metal, and can be used in lots of situations all around the world.