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Zirconium

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Geochemistry

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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FormalPara Element Data

Atomic symbol: Zr

Atomic number: 40

Atomic weight: 91.224

Isotopes and abundances: 90Zr, 51.45% 91Zr,

11.22%, 92Zr, 17.15%, 94Zr, 17.38%, 96Zr, 2.80%

1 Atm melting point: 1855 °C

1 Atm boiling point: 4371 °C

Common valences: 4+

Ionic radii: sixfold: 72 pm

Pauling electronegativity: 1.33

First ionization potential: 640 kJ/mol

Chondritic (CI) abundance: 3.63 ppm

Silicate Earth abundance: 10.3 ppm

Crustal abundance: 132 ppm

Seawater abundance: 9–300 pmol/kg

Core abundance: n/a

Properties

Zirconium is a transition metal of low toxicity with the atomic number of 41. Zirconium has five stable isotopes (90, 91, 92, 94, 96) with an atomic mass of 91.224(2) (CIAAW, 2015). The isotope 92Zr is the decay product of the now extinct 92Nb with a half-life of 34.7 Ma (e.g., Münker et al., 2000; Schönbächler et al., 2002; Iizuka et al., 2016). In some chondrites and CAIs , the neutron-rich isotope 96Zr is slightly enriched relative to other Zr isotopes, reflecting variable...

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Geologie und Mineralogie, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 49A, 50674, Köln, Germany

    Carsten Münker

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  1. Carsten Münker
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Correspondence to Carsten Münker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Cornell University Department of Earth, Ithaca, New York, USA

    William M. White

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Münker, C. (2016). Zirconium. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_264-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_264-1

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-39193-9

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