Element 40, atomic weight 91.22, a hard, grayish, highly flammable crystalline metal that dissolves in hot concentrated acids. Used in steel manufacture and in nuclear reactor chambers because of its transparency to neutrons. Its silicate is used to make zircon used as a gemstone.
Symbol: Zr
Atomic number: 40
Atomic weight: 91.22
Grey-white metallic transition element. Five natural isotopes and six
radioactive isotopes are known. Used in nuclear reactors for a neutron absorber. Discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, isolated in 1824 by
Berzelius.