Zirconium Chemical Properties (25 Facts You Should Know)

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Zirconium is a strong transition metal. Let us explore some facts about Zirconium in detail.

Zirconium is a lustrous solid with greyish-white colour. It is malleable and ductile. It is fifth less electronegative element. It is resistant to corrosion.

Let us discuss the position of zirconium in the periodic table, along with its melting point, boiling point, electronegativity and other related facts in this article.

Zirconium symbol

The element Zirconium has the atomic symbol Zr in the periodic table.

zirconium chemical properties
Zirconium notation

Zirconium group in periodic table

Zirconium occupies group 4 of the periodic table. In the group, the size of the element increases from top to bottom.

Zirconium period in periodic table

The period to which Zirconium belongs in the periodic table is period 5.

Zirconium block in the periodic table

Zirconium occupies d-block of the periodic table which is also called as the transition elements group.

Zirconium atomic number

The atomic number(Z) of Zirconium element is, Z = 40.

Zirconium atomic weight

Atomic weight(A) of Zirconium is, A = 91.224 u.

Zirconium Electronegativity according to Pauling

Electronegativity of Zirconium is found to be 1.33 on the Pauling scale.

Zirconium atomic Density

Zirconium has a density of 6.52 g/cm3.

Zirconium melting point

Zirconium has a higher melting point of 1855 degree Celsius or 2128 K.

Zirconium boiling point

The boiling point of Zirconium is 4377 degrees Celsius or 4650 K.

Zirconium Van der Waals radius

The Van der Waals radius of Zirconium (+4) is 186 pm.

Zirconium ionic radius

The ionic radius of Zirconium is found to be (+4) is 0.080 nm.

Zirconium isotopes

Isotopes are the atoms of the same element with different atomic masses but same number of protons. Let us discuss the isotopes of Zr.

Zirconium has a total of 8 isotopes which are detailed in the table below.

Isotopes Abundance Half-life
88Zr synthetic 83.4 days
89Zr synthetic 78.4 hour
90Zr 51.45% stable
91Zr 11.22% stable
92Zr 17.15% Stable
93Zr trace 1.53*106 year
94Zr 17.38% stable
96Zr 2.80% 2.0*1019 year
Isotopes of zirconium

                                

Zirconium Electronic Shell

The path followed by the electron to revolve around the nucleus is called Electronic Shell. Let us find out the total number of electronic shells in Zr.

There are 5 electronic shells in Zirconium. In periodic table, period number is equal to shell number in the atom. Zirconium belongs to period 5, hence it has 5 electronic shells.

Zirconium Energy of First Ionization

The first ionization energy of Zirconium is 640.1 kJ/mol.

Zirconium energy of second ionization

The second ionization energy of Zirconium is 1270 kJ/mol.

Zirconium energy of third ionization

The third ionization energy of Zirconium is 2218 kJ/mol.

Zirconium oxidation states

The oxidation states of Zirconium are -2, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4.

Zirconium electronic configurations

The electronic configuration of Zirconium is [Kr]4d2 5s2.

Zirconium CAS number

Zirconium CAS number is 7440-67-7.

Zirconium ChemSpider ID

The ChemSpider ID of Zirconium is 22431.

Zirconium allotropic forms

Allotropic forms are the different structural forms exhibited by the same element. Let us discuss allotropes of Zirconium.

The allotropic forms of Zirconium are –

  • Alpha-Zr (having hexagonally close-packed crystal structure). The alpha-Zirconium exists at room temperature.
  • Beta-Zr (having body-centered cubic crystal structure). The beta-Zr exists at 863 degrees Celsius until the melting of Zirconium.

Zirconium chemical classification

Zr is classified as a d-block element. It is a transition element because it contains an incompletely filled d orbital.

Zirconium state at room temperature

At room temperature, Zirconium exists in solid state because Zr atoms have strong inter atomic forces.

Is Zirconium paramagnetic?

Paramagnetic substances possess one or unpaired electrons. Let us discuss whether Zirconium is paramagnetic or not.

Zirconium is paramagnetic because it contains unpaired electrons.

Conclusion

To summarize, Zirconium is malleable and ductile. It has atomic number 40. It belongs to period 5 and group 4. It belongs to d-block.