Zirconium (Zr)

Zirconium metal ingot - one troy ounce - .974 bullion     Named after zircon, it's most commercially important mineral source, which in turn comes from zargun, meaning gold colored in Persian, zirconium is a lustrous, highly corrosion resistant transition metal. The element zirconium is not found in this metallic form in nature.  The mineral zircon was not known to contain a new element until 1789 when discovered by the German chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth. Coincidentally he discovered uranium that same year.   Zircon, of which about 80% of annual production comes from Australia and South Africa, has many direct industrial applications and only a small fraction of it is ever converted to Zirconium. Zirconium is nearly transparent to thermal neutrons and given high corrosion resistance and melting point is ideal for use in the claddings of nuclear reactor fuel cells. Hafnium is used for the opposite purpose in nuclear facilities given exceptional efficiency in absorbing therma