Chemical details/Properties

Zinc, a blue-white metal in its natural state, is relatively brittle at normal temperatures. In a temperature range from 100 to 150 °C it becomes soft and ductile such that it can be drawn to wire. Above 200 °C it becomes so brittle that it can be pulverised without difficulty. Due to its low melting point, zinc and its many alloys are ideal for diecasting processes.

Uses

One of the most outstanding properties of pure zinc is its resistance to corrosion. Zinc is increasingly being used for rust protection of steel (automotive and building industries). A further important application for zinc are zinc alloys, primarily brass, bronze and zinc diecasting alloys. In the chemicals industry zinc serves as stabiliser in the production of plastics and as extender and vulcanisation accelerator in tyre production. Zinc and its chemical compounds are also used in the production of paints, ceramics, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.

History

Zinc as an independent metal has been known in India and China since the late Middle Ages and in Europe since the 16th century. At that time it was used mainly as alloying metal in combination with tin and copper. However, the production of brass is much older; in antiquity brass was manufactured by melting copper and oxidic zinc ores. With the advent of the Industrial Age in the 18th century zinc was extracted systematically and developed more and more to an important commercial metal.

Occurrence

About two-thirds of world zinc stocks are to be found in carbonate and non-carbonate sediment-bound deposits. Although occurrences of this type are widely spread worldwide, the main deposits lie in North America and Australia.