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Zirconium
Chemical element with atomic number 40 (Zr) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Zirconium is a chemical element; it has symbol Zr and atomic number 40. First isolated in pure form in 1824, the name zirconium is derived from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word is related to Persian zargun (zircon; zar-gun, "gold-like" or "as gold").[9] It is a lustrous, grey-white, strong transition metal that closely resembles hafnium and, to a lesser extent, titanium.
Zirconium forms a variety of inorganic, such as zirconium dioxide, and organometallic compounds, such as zirconocene dichloride. Five isotopes occur naturally, four of which are stable.
Zirconium is mainly used as a refractory and opacifier. It plays a vital role in the construction of nuclear reactors due to strong resistance to corrosion and low nuclear reaction cross section. Zirconium compounds have no known biological role.