Zirconium
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.
Gallery
Jurii, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, source: https://images-of-elements.com/zirconium.php
Physical Propertiesmass · density · phase · crystal
Atomic Mass
91.2240Da
Density
6.5200g/cm³
Phase (STP)
Solid
Melting Point
2127.2K
Boiling Point
4679.1K
Molar Heat
0.2780J/(mol·K)
Crystal Structure
HEX
Lattice Constant
3.230Å
Atomic Radiiatomic · covalent · van der Waals
Atomic (Empirical)
155.00pm
Covalent
154.00pm
Van der Waals
223.00pm
Electronic Propertieselectronegativity · ionization · affinity
Electron Configuration
[Kr] 4d2 5s2
Electron Shells
2, 8, 18, 10, 2
Electronegativity
1.33Pauling
Electron Affinity
0.4kJ/mol
1st Ionization Energy
6.6kJ/mol
Oxidation States
+1, +2, +3, +4
Orbital DiagramAufbau · Hund's rule · Pauli exclusion
Full: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s2 4p6 4d2 5s2Short: [Kr] 4d2 5s2
Ionization Energies (40 known)
Emission Spectrumvisible range · characteristic spectral lines
Abundanceby mass
Log scale · ppm = parts per million by mass
Biological Role
No known biological role. Biocompatible — used in dental implants.
Discovery
Discovered By
Martin Klaproth
Named By
—
Year
1789
Nuclear Data
Known Isotopes
37
Stable Isotopes
4
Stable Mass Numbers
90, 91, 92, 94
Natural isotopic abundance (IUPAC recommended values)
Isotopes of Zr37 known
| Nuclide | Z | N | Mass (AMU) | Half-life | Decay | Jπ | Abundance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77Zr | 40 | 37 | 76.966076 | Unknown | β⁺, β⁺p, p | 3/2- | — |
| 78Zr | 40 | 38 | 77.956146 | Unknown | β⁺, β⁺p | 0+ | — |
| 79Zr | 40 | 39 | 78.949790 | 56.0 ms | β⁺ (1%), β⁺p | 5/2+ | — |
| 90Zrstable | 40 | 50 | 89.904699 | Stable | stable (1%) | 0+ | 5145.0000% |
| 91Zrstable | 40 | 51 | 90.905640 | Stable | stable (1%) | 5/2+ | 1122.0000% |
| 92Zrstable | 40 | 52 | 91.905035 | Stable | stable (1%) | 0+ | 1715.0000% |
| 94Zrstable | 40 | 54 | 93.906313 | Stable | 2β⁻ | 0+ | 1738.0000% |
| 96Zr | 40 | 56 | 95.908278 | 23400000000 Gy | 2β⁻ (1%) | 0+ | 280.0000% |
| 111Zr | 40 | 71 | 110.960837 | 24.0 ms | β⁻ (1%), β⁻n, 2n | 5/2+ | — |
| 112Zr | 40 | 72 | 111.965196 | 43.0 ms | β⁻ (1%), β⁻n, 2n | 0+ | — |
| 113Zr | 40 | 73 | 112.971723 | Unknown | β⁻, β⁻n, 2n | 3/2+ | — |