Uses of Zinc

The metal zinc was discovered by the German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf in 1746. Zinc is a chemical element that has a silvery-greyish appearance. This general appearance of zinc is only visible when a layer of oxidation is removed. It belongs to group 12 and period 4 in the modern periodic table. It has an atomic number of 30 and an atomic mass of 65.38u. It is a d-block element. It possesses the symbol Zn.  

Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth’s crust and the 4th most widely consumed metal globally after iron, aluminium, and copper. It has five stable isotopes, among which Zn64 is the most durable and abundant. It is chemically identical to magnesium. The metal zinc is hard and brittle at room temperature but transforms into a malleable structure at temperatures ranging from 100-150℃. 

Zinc makes up to 75ppm of the Earth’s crust. This element is normally found in association with other base metals such as lead and copper in various ores. A form of zinc sulphide known as Sphalerite is the most heavily mined zinc-containing ore. There are various other sources of minerals for zinc that include an associated form of zinc with other metals or elements. They are Hydrozincite (zinc carbonate), Hemimorphite (zinc silicates), wurtzite (zinc sulphide), etc. 

Properties of Zinc

Zinc is a metal that has a bluish-white lustrous appearance. It is brittle as well as malleable, depending on the temperature. It is a reasonable conductor of electricity. The density of zinc is relatively high as compared to aluminium and copper. It has high heat capacity and high conductivity. All such properties make zinc one of the most important and the 4th most widely consumed metals globally. 

Various uses of Zinc

The metal zinc has several uses, from cosmetics to pharmaceutical industries, based on its specific properties and characteristics. All the above-described properties make Zinc a precious and economical metal. The most common uses of the metal zinc are given below:

• Zinc in its oxide form is widely used in the paint industry to manufacture paint and its products. 
• Zinc is commonly used in galvanisation that protects the surface of iron and steel from rusting. 
• Being brittle, zinc is used as a component to produce die-castings in the automobile industry. 
• Zinc also has several electrical, hardware, cosmetics, and textile industry applications. 
• The most common use of zinc is seen in the pharmaceutical industry in producing various drugs and medicine. This is because the metal zinc is related to health and wound healing. 
• Along with copper, zinc is widely used in plumbing and roofing materials. 
• When zinc is mixed with copper to form a brass which is an alloy, it is used to form vehicle parts (alloy wheel), electrical parts, and household appliances. 
• Being an essential trace element for humans and other organisms, zinc is required to properly function over 320 enzymes and various transcriptional factors. 

Zinc used in automobiles

The properties of zinc like strength, stability, and ductility make it useful in the automobile industry in producing die-cast components for vehicles. This mediates the safety and stability of the vehicles and the driver and passengers. Apart from this, when zinc is mixed with copper to form a brass, an alloy, it is used to form vehicle parts (alloy wheel) and internal parts. 

Zinc is a component of electrochemical cells

Zinc is widely used in the production of almost all types of batteries. Such as zinc-bromine batteries, zinc-carbon batteries, etc. These batteries work on the principles of galvanic cells. Besides batteries, zinc is a component of electrochemical cells and copper. It is because both zinc and copper ions prevent the migration of ions to the opposite electrodes, which makes the cell properly functional for a large period. 

Conclusion

Zinc is a chemical element that has a silvery-greyish appearance. It belongs to group 12 and period 4 in the modern periodic table. It has an atomic number of 30 and an atomic mass of 65.38u. It is a d-block element. It possesses the symbol Zn. The properties of zinc include ductility, brittle, a good conductor of heat and electricity, high density, and elasticity in nature. Elasticity and malleability are those properties that are temperature-dependent. Some of the important uses of zinc are defined based on its combining capacity with other elements. Zinc is widely used in automobiles, cosmetics, paint, galvanisation, etc.