Characterization and adsorption mechanism of ZrO2 mesoporous fibers for health-hazardous fluoride removal.

See more Zirconium products. Zirconium (atomic symbol: Zr, atomic number: 40) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 91.224. The number of electrons in each of Zirconium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 10, 2 and its electron configuration is [Kr]4d² 5s². The zirconium atom has a radius of 160 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 186 pm. Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 and first isolated by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1824. In its elemental form, zirconium has a silvery white appearance that is similar to titanium. Zirconium's principal mineral is zircon (zirconium silicate). Zirconium is commercially produced as a byproduct of titanium and tin mining and has many applications as a opacifier and a refractory material. It is not found in nature as a free element. The name of zirconium comes from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium, and from the Persian wordzargun, meaning gold-like.

Fluorine is a Block P, Group 17, Period 2 element. Its electron configuration is [He]2s²2p⁵. The fluorine atom has a covalent radius of 64 pm and its Van der Waals radius is 135 pm. In its elemental form, CAS 7782-41-4, fluorine gas has a pale yellow appearance. Fluorine was discovered by André-Marie Ampère in 1810. It was first isolated by Henri Moissan in 1886.