![]() ![]() Zirconium has very low toxicity and it is estimated that humans ingest about 50 micrograms (1.8 x 10-6 ounces) per day, most of which passes through the digestive system without being absorbed, according to Lenntech.Zirconium combined with dioxide creates cubic zirconia, which is commonly used as a substitute for diamonds. Zirconium combines with silicate to create the natural semiprecious gemstone zircon, according to Chemicool.According to Lenntech, approximately 7000 tons of zirconium metal is produced annually.However, according to, the two are entirely separate substances, and have no connection with each other except that they both contain the element zirconium in their chemical structure. Zircon is sometimes confused with cubic zirconia, a synthetic, inexpensive diamond simulant. ![]() ![]() This method produced a pure zirconium crystal bar, according to Chemicool. He produced zirconium as a black powder as a result of heating an iron tube containing a mixture of potassium and potassium zirconium fluoride (Kr 2ZrF 6).Īnton Eduard van Arkel and Jan Hendrik de Boer, Dutch chemists, produced pure zirconium in 1925 by heating zirconium tetrachloride (ZrCl 4) with magnesium, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry. Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, isolated zirconium in 1824, according to Chemicool. He did, however, suggest the name of zirconium for the metal itself, according to van der Krogt. Sir Humphry Davy, an English chemist, attempted to separate zirconerde to get pure zirconium in 1808 using electrolysis, but was unsuccessful, according to Chemicool. Klaproth also later found zirconerde in jacinth, a pale yellow variety of zircon, but he was unable to separate the metal, according to van der Krogt. The sample's composition was found to be 25 percent silica, 0.5 percent iron oxide, and 70 percent a new oxide that he named zirconerde (or "zircon of the earth"). Martin Heinrich Klaproth, a German chemist, discovered zirconium in 1789 in a sample of zircon from Sri Lanka, according to Chemicool. During the Middle Ages, zircon was even believed to induce sleep, promote wealth, honor and wisdom, and to drive away plagues and evil spirits. It comes closer to resembling a diamond than any other natural gem, according to. It has been used in jewelry and other decoration for centuries, according to Peter van der Krogt, a Dutch historian. The word comes from the Persian "zargun" or gold color. Zircon, a gemstone, comes in blue, yellow, green, brown, orange, red and occasionally purple varieties. (Image credit: Greg Robson/Creative Commons, Andrei Marincas Shutterstock) History Electron configuration and elemental properties of zirconium. ![]()
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