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Origin / Meaning of the name Hafnium
The word Hafnium originates from the Latin Hafnia for
"Copenhagen".
Periodic Table Group and Classification of the of the Hafnium Element
Elements can be classified based on their physical states (States
of Matter) e.g. gas, solid or liquid. This element is a solid. Hafnium
is
classified as a "Transition Metal" which are located in Groups 3 -
12 of the Periodic Table. Elements classified as
Transition Metals are generally described as ductile, malleable, and able to conduct electricity and heat.Nearly 75% of all the elements in the Periodic Table
are classified as metals which are detailed in the
List of Metals.
Facts about the History
and the Discovery
of the Hafnium
Element
Hafnium was discovered by
Dirk Coster and Georg von Hevesy
in 1923 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Found in zircon through X-ray
spectroscope analysis in Norway. First separated from
zirconium through re-crystallization of double ammonium or
Potassium
fluorides by Jantzen and von Hevesey. Metallic Hafnium
was first prepared by Anton Eduard van Arkel and Jan Hendrik
deBoer. Associated with zirconium by using the Bohr theory.
History of the Periodic Table
Check out the brief
History of the
Periodic Table which details dates and the names of famous
scientists and chemists who contributed to the development of
the Periodic Table.
Occurrence of the Hafnium Element
Does not exist as a free
element in nature
Obtained from zircon
Found combined in natural zirconium compounds and minerals such as
alvite
Abundances of the element in different environments
% in Universe
7×10-8%
% in Sun 1×10-7%
% in Meteorites 0.000017%
% in Earth's Crust 0.00033%
% in Oceans 8×10-10%
% in Humans N/A
Associated Uses of Hafnium
Nuclear reactors
Hafnium reactor
The Hafnium bomb
Used in incandescent lamps
Tungsten filaments |
