Discovered: known in India and China before 1500 and to the Greeks and Romans before 20 BC as the copper-zinc alloy brass
Origin: The name is derived from the German ‘Zink’.
Atomic no: 30
Mass No: 65
Description: A grey metal with a blue tinge. World production exceeds 7 million tons a year, and it is used to galvanise iron to prevent it rusting. It is also employed in alloys and batteries, and as zinc oxide to stabilise rubber and plastics. Zinc is essential for all living things, and is important for growth and development. The average human body contains about 2.5 grams and takes in about 15 milligrams per day. Some foods have above average levels of zinc, including herring, beef, lamb, sunflower seeds and cheese.
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Adhesive Forces
Forces of attraction between a liquid and another surface.
Element
A substance that cannot be decomposed into simpler substances by chemical means.
Isomers
Different substances that have the same formula.
Molecular Geometry
The arrangement of atoms (not lone pairs of electrons) around a central atom of a molecule or polyatomic ion.
Compressed Gas
A gas or mixture of gases having, in a container an absolute pressure exceeding 40 psi at 21.1°C (70°F)
Saccharate
A compound formed by interaction of sucrose with a metallic oxide, usually lime, and useful in the purification of sugar.
Catalyst
A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed itself in the reaction.
A substance that alters (usually increases) the rate at which a reaction occurs.
Spectrum
Display of component wavelengths (colours) of electromagnetic radiation.
Nucleus
The very small, very dense, positively charged center of an atom containing protons and neutrons, as well as other subatomic particles.
Hybridization
Mixing a set of atomic orbitals to form a new set of atomic orbitals with the same total electron capacity and with properties and energies intermediate between those of the original unhybridized orbitals.
