Zirconium

General properties
Name, symbol, number	zirconium, Zr, 40
Element category	transition metal
Group, period, block	4, 5, d
Standard atomic weight	91.224
Electron configuration	[Kr] 5s2 4d2 2, 8, 18, 10, 2
History
Discovery	Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1789)
First isolation	Jöns Jakob Berzelius (1824)

Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr, atomic number 40 and atomic mass of 91.224. The name of zirconium is taken from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. It is a lustrous, grey-white, strongtransition metal that resembles titanium. Zirconium is mainly used as a refractory andopacifier, although minor amounts are used as alloying agent for its strong resistance to corrosion. Zirconium forms a variety of inorganic and organometallic compounds such as zirconium dioxide and zirconocene dichloride, respectively. Five isotopes occur naturally, three of which are stable. Zirconium compounds have no known biological role.

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