| Description |
Hard, lustrous, silvery metal. Very corrosion resistant due to oxide layer, but will burn in air. Unaffected by acids, (except HF), and alkalis. Metal used in alloys, colored glazes, and nuclear reactors. Oxides used in foundry crucibles, bricks, ceramics,
synthetic gemstones, and abrasives. Zirconium is commonly accompanied with
Hafnium. Diagnostic tests:
There are no quick and diagnostic tests to detect zirconium. Most tests
use solutions created by flux decomposition by Na2CO3.
The element is detected by precipitation of a gelatinous base upon
addition of NH4OH, NaOH or KOH and than processed using
Alizarin Red dye.
X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is commonly employed to
identify and analyze zirconium.
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