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Other Rare Metals

Zirconium & Hafnium

Zirconium

zircon crystal in schist With an average of 160 ppm in the earth’s crust, the metal zirconium (atomic number 40) is one of the more abundant elements. It is found in a wide range of minerals but never in its native form. By far the most common Zr-minerals are zircon (ZrSiO4), followed by baddeleyite (ZrO2) and eudialyte (a very complex Zr-REE-Na-Ca-Fe-Mn-silicate).

Metallic zirconium is highly resistant to corrosion and has has a very high melting and boiling point. It is used in nuclear reactors, in superconductors and alloys. Most of the zirconium, however, is used in its oxidic (ZrO2) or natural silicatic form (ZrSiO4), as both are highly refractory.

Major zircon deposits occur in Australia, South Africa, India and the USA.

Hafnium

This metallic element was one of the last stable chemical elements to be discovered. It is not exceedingly rare but only three distinct minerals with Hf as a major constituent are known. The chemical and physical properties of hafnium are almost identical to those of zirconium. This is also the reason why all zirconium bearing minerals contain up to several percent of hafnium.

The sources for hafnium are identical with the zircon deposits (Australia, South Africa and all others).

High purity hafnium metal is used in nuclear reactors. The new generation of microchips for computers is based on hafnium oxide and no longer on silicon.