Light bulbs are a big upgrade from fires and candles. Every year, homes in informal settlements burn down in Africa because of fires used for heating and lighting. So electrical light bulbs with filaments brought about a ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 08, 2021
11
316
Sunscreen that includes zinc oxide, a common ingredient, loses much of its effectiveness and becomes toxic after two hours of exposure to ultraviolet radiation, according to a collaboration that included Oregon State University ...
Materials Science
Oct 14, 2021
3
4088
An international collaboration of scientists has taken a significant step toward the realization of a nearly "green" zero-net-carbon technology that will efficiently convert carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, and hydrogen ...
Materials Science
Sep 10, 2021
2
81
Many small animals grow their teeth, claws and other "tools" out of materials that are filled with zinc, bromine and manganese, reaching up to 20% of the material's weight. My colleagues and I call these "heavy element biomaterials," ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 01, 2021
0
22
Ever wonder how tiny creatures can so easily slice, puncture, or sting? New research reveals that ants, worms, spiders, and other tiny creatures have a built-in set of tools that would be the envy of any carpenter or surgeon.
Plants & Animals
Sep 01, 2021
0
4441
A new family of materials that could result in improved digital information storage and uses less energy may be possible thanks to a team of Penn State researchers who demonstrated ferroelectricity in magnesium-substituted ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 31, 2021
1
215
Prof. Jong-Soo Lee and his research team from the Department of Energy Science & Engineering, DGIST, developed a green-emitting Cd-Free quantum dot synthesis technology with high color reproduction rate. The newly developed ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 26, 2021
0
9
Both nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) act as gaseous signaling molecules with similar physiological effects. Many of the critical questions about the interplay between these two gasotransmitters hinge on their ...
Biochemistry
Aug 25, 2021
0
230
Zinc-based batteries are promising options for energy storage devices owing to their low cost and high energy density. However, they have serious dendrite issues, especially at high areal capacities and current densities.
Materials Science
Aug 19, 2021
0
11
Nutrient imbalances can adversely impact crop health and agricultural productivity. The trace elements zinc and iron are taken up by the same transporters in plants, so zinc deficiency can result in excess uptake of iron. ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 18, 2021
0
5
Zinc (pronounced /ˈzɪŋk/, from German: Zink and also known as spelter) is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is chemically similar to magnesium because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth's crust and has five stable isotopes. The most exploited zinc ore is sphalerite, or zinc sulfide; the largest exploitable deposits are found in Australia, Canada and the United States. Zinc production includes froth flotation of the ore, roasting and final extraction using electricity.
Brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc, has been used since at least the 10th century BC. Impure zinc metal was not produced in large scale until the 13th century in India, while the metal was unknown to Europe until the end of the 16th century. Alchemists burned zinc in air to form what they called "philosopher's wool" or "white snow." The element was probably named by the alchemist Paracelsus after the German word Zinke. German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf is normally given credit for discovering pure metallic zinc in a 1746 experiment. Work by Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta uncovered the electrochemical properties of zinc by 1800. Corrosion-resistant zinc plating of steel is the major application for zinc. Other applications are in batteries and alloys, such as brass. A variety of zinc compounds are commonly used, such as zinc chloride (in deodorants), zinc pyrithione (anti-dandruff shampoos), zinc sulfide (in luminescent paints), and zinc methyl or zinc diethyl in the organic laboratory.
Zinc is an essential mineral of "exceptional biologic and public health importance". Zinc deficiency affects about 2 billion people in the developing world and is associated with many diseases. In children it causes growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, infection susceptibility, and diarrhea, contributing to the death of about 800,000 children worldwide per year. Enzymes with a zinc atom in the reactive center are widespread in biochemistry, such as alcohol dehydrogenase in humans. Consumption of excess zinc can cause ataxia, lethargy and copper deficiency.
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