Zirconium is a chemical element with symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name of zirconium is taken from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word zircon comes from the Persian word zargun زرگون, meaning "gold-colored".
Three reasons Zirconium stands out
1
Used in nuclear reactors and very resistant to corrosion and heat.
2
Its dioxide is used as an affordable diamond substitute in jewellery, sold as cubic zirconia.
3
It is used to make high-performance ceramic knives that hold an edge far longer than steel.
Nuclear transparency in a corrosion-proof metal
Zirconium withstands aggressive chemicals and barely absorbs neutrons, a rare combination that suits nuclear-reactor fuel cladding. The metal must be separated meticulously from hafnium, which occurs beside it but captures neutrons strongly. Cubic zirconia is zirconium dioxide, not metallic zirconium.
Recognizing Zirconium in Elementle
If Zirconium is the mystery element, guesses below atomic number 40 point up and guesses above it point down. Its symbol is Zr: a green letter matches the same position in that symbol, while a yellow letter belongs in another position.
The family clue turns green for transition metal guesses. Compare Yttrium (Y), number 39 and Niobium (Nb), number 41: they share the family clue, but their atomic numbers and symbols help you tell them apart.
Values are reference data, not a specification for every temperature, pressure, or allotrope. Unknown properties are left unavailable. Superheavy-element predictions remain uncertain.
The introduction and original editorial story are adapted from Wikipedia contributors via Periodic-Table-JSON. Element descriptions and their adaptations are available under CC BY-SA 3.0. Numerical attributes use the PubChem periodic-table dataset, retrieved September 22, 2026.