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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Citizen Chemist => Topic started by: KenJackson on February 26, 2018, 01:19:31 PM

Title: Two Inch Zirconium Sphere
Post by: KenJackson on February 26, 2018, 01:19:31 PM

Has anyone else noticed that Provident Metals, who mostly sells gold and silver coins and bars, is now selling a 2" zirconium sphere (https://www.providentmetals.com/elemental-2-inch-zirconium-sphere.html)?  So cool.

This has no practical value.  But I remember zirconium's unique nuclear characteristics make it valuable in the construction of nuclear reactors.  I suppose it would be enjoyable to just have it sitting on the desk.

Title: Re: Two Inch Zirconium Sphere
Post by: Enthalpy on February 27, 2018, 10:46:36 AM

Nice indeed. Very dark for a metal.

At 99.2% purity, Zr has no value in a nuclear reactor. The rest is almost certainly Hf, always present in the ore and quite difficult to separate, whose neutron absorption spoils the neutron transparency of Zr. Zr must be further refined for use in neutronics, and this costs a bit.

Centrifuges may (or not) be a better way to separate Zr from Hf
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