Zirconium is a lustrous, grey-white, strong transition metal that resembles hafnium and titanium.
Core Principles & Analysis
Martin Heinrich Klaproth identified zirconium in the gemstone zircon in 1789, and Berzelius first isolated the impure metal in 1824.
It resists corrosion exceptionally well and absorbs very few thermal neutrons, a rare combination; zircon crystals from Australia's Jack Hills are, at 4.4 billion years, the oldest known Earth minerals.
Zircaloy cladding sheathes the uranium fuel rods of most nuclear reactors, while zirconium dioxide appears as cubic zirconia gemstones and tough ceramic knives and dental crowns.