Jul 29 2013
Topics Covered
Introduction
Chemical Properties
Physical Properties
Mechanical Properties
Thermal Properties
Applications
Introduction
Zinc is a bluish-white metal with a lustrous appearance. It is brittle by nature, but exhibits good malleability and ductility at higher temperatures. The atomic number of zinc is 30 and is represented by the symbol Zn. It belongs to the d-block, period 4 and group 12 of the periodic table.
Zinc occupies an important place in biological well being. Deficiency of zinc in the human body leads to a number of health impairments. It is abundantly available on Earth’s crust and is usually found in the mineral galena, which is distributed in Russia, Canada, Australia and the USA.
Chemical Properties
The chemical properties of zinc are provided in the table below:
|
Chemical Data |
|
CAS number |
7440-66-6 |
|
Thermal neutron cross section |
1.06 barns/atom |
|
Electrode potential |
-0.760 V |
|
Ionic radius |
0.740 Å |
|
Electro negativity |
1.65 |
|
X-ray absorption edge |
1.283 Å |
|
Electrochemical equivalent |
1.219 g/A/h |
Physical Properties
The following table discusses the physical properties of zinc.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Density |
7.10 g/cm3 |
0.257 lb/in3 |
|
Melting point |
419.58 °C |
787.24 °F |
|
Boiling point |
907 °C |
1664 °F |
Mechanical Properties
The mechanical properties of zinc are tabulated below.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Tensile strength |
37 MPa |
5370 psi |
|
Modulus of elasticity |
96.5 GPa |
14000 ksi |
|
Hardness, Vickers |
30 |
30 |
Thermal Properties
The thermal properties of zinc are tabulated below.
|
Properties |
Metric |
Imperial |
|
Thermal expansion co-efficient (@20-100°C/68-212°F) |
31.2 µm/m°C |
17.3 µin/in°F |
|
Thermal conductivity |
112.2 W/mK |
778.7 BTU in/hr.ft².°F |
Applications
The following are the application areas of zinc:
-
Galvanization of iron
-
Architectural
-
Automotive
-
Cathode in batteries
-
Toys
-
Pigments, activator and catalyst
-
Pharmaceuticals