Kirk Butler

𝟔𝟒−𝟕𝟎
Properties, history, and uses of 𝟑𝟎𝒁𝒏

Mrs. Lummis

Chemistry Pd 8

11/7/2009
Kirk Butler
November 2009

Zinc
Its Discovery, Properties, and Uses

There are a lot of metals on the Periodic Table. The

transition metals are the largest single group of elements by
number. Among them are such familiar elements as gold, silver,
iron, cobalt, and mercury. There are also lesser-known
substances, like technetium, palladium, and vanadium. In a kind
of middle-ground between these two, along with elements like
chromium, tungsten, and manganese, lies Zinc.
Pure zinc, like most other elements, is very difficult to
find. Most zinc on Earth is found in the form of compounds like
zinc sulfide (ZnS). However, zinc is very easy to isolate. The
reactions that isolate zinc from ZnS are as follows:

2𝑍𝑛𝑆 + 3𝑂2 → 2𝑆𝑂2 + 2𝑍𝑛𝑂

then
𝑍𝑛𝑂 + 𝐶𝑂 → 𝑍𝑛 + 𝐶𝑂2
or
𝑍𝑛𝑂 + 𝐶 → 𝑍𝑛 + 𝐶𝑂

Zinc sulfide reacts with oxygen gas to form sulfur dioxide and zinc oxide.
then
Zinc oxide reacts with carbon monoxide to form zinc metal and carbon dioxide.
or
Zinc oxide reacts with carbon to form zinc metal and carbon monoxide.

Once zinc has been isolated as a metal, it becomes much

more useful. Zinc is used in galvanization to protect other
metals, in United States pennies to reduce price, in alloys to
strengthen metals, and in batteries. In the compound zinc oxide
(ZnO), it is used in rubber and in pharmaceuticals. In the
compound zinc sulfide (ZnS), it is used
in fluorescent lighting and X-ray
screens. Each of these uses will be
examined in turn, but first a bit of
chemistry.
Starting at the physical level, zinc
is a solid at standard temperature
(25°C). As shown in the image to the
right of pure zinc metal, it is a bluish-
gray substance and is somewhat shiny. At
room temperature it is not malleable and
cannot be drawn out into strands such as
wires, but this property changes at
approximately 100°C, where it is fairly
workable. It has a hexagonal crystal structure. Zinc’s melting
Kirk Butler
November 2009

point is 419.53°C, and it boils at 907.0°C. When burned, zinc

emits red light.
In chemistry, zinc is quite interesting. Zinc always forms
a +2 cation, allowing it to form many ionic bonds. Some zinc
compounds include ZnH2, ZnBr2, ZnI2, ZnO, ZnS, and Zn3N2. Others
include zinc chromate (ZnCrO4) and zinc silicate (Zn2SiO4). Zinc
also reacts readily. The most common reaction is tarnishing.
When zinc is exposed to air, it reacts with the oxygen to form
deposits of zinc oxide (which appears as a fine white powder) on
the surface of the metal. Galvanization, a process to be
discussed in due time, takes advantage of this to protect other
metals. When exposed to halogens, zinc reacts to produce yet
more white powder, here in the form of zinc dibromide or zinc
diiodide. When exposed to acids, zinc dissolves slowly into a
solution of Zn2+ ions and H2 gas, plus a precipitate formed by
the particular acid involved. In a base, zinc dissolves to form
ions called zincates, represented with the formula [Zn(OH)4]2- as
a starting point. Zinc is also a key element (literally) of
brass. Brass is an alloy (a combination of two or more metals)
that forms when zinc and copper are bonded together with heat,
generally using a chemical
reagent like NaOH. At very high
temperatures, such as in an open
flame, copper and zinc melt
together and form a substance
that has different properties
from both: brass has a gold-like appearance and is stronger than
either copper or zinc alone.
At the atomic level, zinc is fairly standard. Zinc is a
transition metal with thirty protons,
thirty electrons, and an average of
thirty-five neutrons. It has five
naturally-occurring isotopes, including
zinc-64, zinc-66, zinc-67, zinc-68, and
zinc-70. Among these, zinc-64 is the
most common1. It has thirty-four
neutrons. Zinc is a solid at 25°C.
Zinc’s melting point (useful for making
alloys) is 419.53°C, and its boiling
point is 907.0°C. Its electron
configuration is 1s22s22p63s23p64s23d10. In
chemical reactions, it has a tendency to
lose its two outermost electrons (the 4s orbital), making its
ionized form a 2+ cation, as mentioned earlier. A diagram of

1
Note that zinc-65 will be used for all further figures in this paper.
Kirk Butler
November 2009

zinc’s atomic structure (in the Bohr model) is shown to the

right.
Of zinc’s unstable isotopes, zinc-65 and zinc-69 are the
most common. Zinc-65 has a half-life of 244.26 days, while zinc-
69’s is a meager 56.4 minutes. Zinc-65 ends up as copper-65, and
zinc-69 as gallium-69. The valence electron quantum numbers of
zinc are n=4, l=0, m=0, s=-½. Enriched zinc-64 has been
suggested for use in nuclear weapons, as an activator for the
detonation.
Having covered zinc’s physical, chemical, atomic, and
nuclear properties, we now return to usage. Zinc has been used
since prehistoric times in forming alloys. The main alloys that
use zinc are brass and two types of bronze. Brass is a
combination of copper and zinc, and the bronzes are made up of
copper and zinc (commercial bronze) and copper, lead, and zinc
(architectural bronze). All three of these alloys are created by
using heat to melt the metals into each other, followed by
dipping the result into water to cool.
Another important zinc use, accounting for more than 50% of
all zinc, is galvanization. Galvanization is the process by
which a thin coating of zinc is applied to iron. There are two
processes that can accomplish this. The first and older method
is called hot-dip galvanization. This method, invented in 1836,
is the oldest known anticorrosion process.
Hot-dip galvanization starts when an iron or steel object
is dipped first in a hot alkaline (basic) bath and then in a
cool acid bath. This serves to
eliminate imperfections like rust and
grease that can cause galvanization
to fail. The second step is immersion
in molten zinc, usually at about
460°C. A thin layer of zinc bonds to
the iron at this point, which soon
becomes zinc oxide. Exposure to air
then converts the zinc oxide to zinc
hydroxide and then to zinc carbonate.
At the end of this process, the iron or steel has been coated
with a very strong anticorrosive.
Electroplating is another galvanization technique. It
starts with chemical baths, as with the hot-dip method. After
the object has been cleaned, it is immersed in a solution of
ZnCl2 along with a rod of zinc metal. The metal is linked to a
circuit at the positive end, and the object is linked to the
negative end. The electricity circulating through the metal,
through the solution, and up through the object gives the object
a negative charge, causing positively charged Zn2+ ions in the
ZnCl2 solution to be attracted to it. The electrons flowing
Kirk Butler
November 2009

through the object bond to the ions, forming zinc atoms at every
available point on the surface of the object. When the object is
removed from the solution, a coating of zinc has formed on its
surface, with the same properties as the coating formed by hot-
dip galvanization. The advantage of electroplating is that it
does not require intense heat to work, making it much safer.
Zinc is also the primary element in United States pennies
minted after 1983. When pennies were first made in 1787, they
were made entirely of copper. However, during World War II, the
rising demand of copper for making bullet jackets forced the
Mint to produce coins made of steel. While these coins contained
copper, they were far from pure. After the war, copper was used
again in minting pennies, but the core of the coin was now made
of zinc. Eventually, as copper became more and more expensive,
more and more zinc was used. By 1983 and until today, pennies
contained 97.5% zinc and only a paltry 2.5% copper as a coating.
Interestingly, this means that post-1983 pennies can easily be
made into brass pennies by coating them with zinc and then
putting them into a flame. This is the real process behind the
common high-school chemistry experiment called the “Gold Penny
Lab.”
Another important use of zinc is the vulcanization of
rubber. This process, discovered in 1839 by Charles Goodyear
(truly a good year for him!) strengthens rubber immensely,
making it suitable for tires, among other things. In modern
vulcanization, zinc oxide is used to make the components bond
more quickly.
Batteries are a fifth example
of zinc’s usefulness. All the
household batteries used today (AA,
AAA, C, D, etc.) contain zinc and
rely on it to work. Zinc chloride is
an electrolyte, meaning that it
conducts electricity extremely well
when melted in water. Modern dry-cell
batteries contain zinc chloride
together with potassium hydroxide and water in a paste. This
serves as a negative electrode. The positive electrode is a rod
of pure carbon. Together, the rod and paste generate an electric
current that lasts a short while. While it lasts, it powers
toys, flashlights, and anything else that accepts alkaline
batteries.
Rat poison is a particularly nasty use of zinc. When zinc
phosphide (Zn3P2) is eaten, it reacts with water in the stomach
to produce a toxic chemical called phosphine, with the formula
PH3.
Kirk Butler
November 2009

Zinc chloride is hygroscopic and an astringent. This means

that is absorbs and retains water well, and that it forces skin
tissue to pull together. These properties make it ideal in many
cosmetic products, as well as in glue.
Though there are many more uses of zinc, only one other
will be discussed here. This deals with zinc sulfide’s
properties as a phosphor. Phosphors are chemicals that give off
light when hit with electrons, ultraviolet light, or X-Rays.
This makes zinc important in television and X-Ray screens. When
X-Rays are fired through a person and onto a ZnS-coated film,
they are absorbed by bones and other dense materials like
artificial limbs and foreign objects but pass through everything
else. The X-Rays that pass through hit the screen, activating
the phosphorescent ZnCl2. When developed, bones and other solid
forms appear white, while everything else remains dark. In
television, electrons are fired at a screen to produce a similar
effect, except that much more information is coded, such as
color.
Zinc has been known since medieval times. East Asians were
making brass at the same time the crusades were devastating the
Middle East. However, zinc was not identified and isolated until
1746, when a German chemist named Andreas
Marggraf extracted zinc metal from
calamine, a mixture of ZnO and Fe2O3. He
did this by reacting the calamine with
charcoal, which is heavy in carbon, and
produced zinc metal as a result2.
Marggraf described the resulting
sample’s rough, irregular surface as
“spiky.” This is the origin of the name.
Zink, the name he gave the metal, means
spiky in German, and the English spelling
is derived from that.
Overall, zinc is one of the most useful and important
metals. It is all around us in the things we use and in the
nails holding up the walls that surround us. It is in our cars,
our planes, and our ships. In fact, it is also in us. Zinc is
required in trace amounts to sustain healthy bones, facilitate
cell division, maintain reproductive health, and help the senses
work. Without zinc, not only would life be less convenient, it
would be impossible.

2
The people of Zawar, India, had been doing this since the
thirteenth century to make brass and medicine, but they probably
were not interested in zinc’s chemical properties. Marggraf did
so, and thus became zinc’s official discoverer.
Kirk Butler
November 2009

References

Helmenstine, Annie Marie. "Zinc Facts." About.com

Chemistry. About.com, Web. 7 Nov 2009.
<http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/zinc.htm>.
Kristoff, Susan. "Introduction to
Galvanization." Suite101.com. 09 Sep 2008. Suite 101, Web. 7 Nov
2009. <http://mechanical-
engineering.suite101.com/article.cfm/introduction_to_galvanizati
on>.
Lew, Kristi. Zinc. 1st ed. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing,
2008. Print.
Phillips, David, and Philip Rainbow. Biomonitoring of Trace
Aquatic Contaminants. 1994 ed. Oxford, Great Britain: Alden
Press, Ltd., 1994. 34. Print.
Winter, Mark. "Zinc: Essential Information."WebElements
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Zinc Association, Web. 7 Nov 2009.
<http://www.zinc.org/natural_occurrence.html>.
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Association, Web. 7 Nov 2009.
<http://www.zinc.org/properties.html>.
"Zinc Metal MSDS." Sciencelab.com. 10 Oct 2005.
Sciencelab.com, Inc., Web. 7 Nov 2009.
<www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Zinc_Metal-9925476>.