What are zinc metal’s properties, and its uses?

Zinc (Zn) is a Metal found in abundance in the earth's crust and is widely used in industrial and biological applications. Zinc is brittle at room temperature and blue-white. Zinc is commonly found in mineral deposits along with other base Metals such as Copper and lead sheets.

Zinc is used as a base metal to galvanized Steel and is a process to protect the metal against unwanted corrosion. But zinc alloys, including brass, are critical to a wide range of applications, from corrosion-resistant marine components to musical instruments.

Zinc is found in several ores, the principal ones being zinc blende (zinc sulfide) and calamine (zinc silicate). The principal mining areas are in China, Australia and Peru. Commercially, zinc is obtained from its ores by concentrating and roasting the ore, then reducing it to zinc by heating with carbon or by electrolysis. World production is more than 11 million tonnes a year.