Who invented zinc

Our human bodies use zinc for skin and bone health, sexual maturation and to process food and nutrients, claims the Mineral Information Institute. The human body needs 0. The element zinc was discovered in Germany in by Andreas Marggraf. However, zinc ores were commonly used to make brass as early as to B. Alaska mines the most zinc in the U. Ogdensburg, New Jersey, was once a large producer of zinc, but these mines are now closed.

The U. Zinc has many uses. Primarily used in a variety of coating processes in order to protect other metals from the elements, it is also commonly used in powder and dust form, as an oxide, and for medical purposes. Zinc is found in dry batteries and hardens the brass that coats the U. Zinc alloys are often combined with other metals in order to strengthen and harden them. The sheets produced by the pack rolling process were mainly used in the building industry and worked well for roofing, roof drainage, building components, and ornamental ironwork.

When the material properties no longer met Western European quality requirements, pack rolling that had been well established until then was replaced in Germany at the beginning of the s by new, high-tech processes. Despite its long tradition, the comparatively young metal is now being discovered for ever new areas of application. It can be found in high-tech products as well as in telecommunications and aerospace. As zinc ores are abundant both geologically and geographically, zinc is considered a "raw material with a future," offering sustainability and recyclability.

Weathering and erosion of rocks, soils, and sediments by wind and water naturally release small quantities of zinc. Zinc is absorbed, utilized, and excreted by living organisms and plants.

In water, air and soil, a natural zinc concentration occurs in this way, which can vary greatly depending on location and conditions. Zinc blende ZnS is the essential zinc mineral for zinc production. Source: Initiative Zink. Rock with these high zinc contents is known as ore.

The ore contains zinc mostly in the form of sphalerite, i. Zinc ore is often mined in open pits. Zinc ore can be found in many areas of our earth. There were also zinc ore deposits in Germany, for instance, near Stolberg in the Rhineland are or at Rammelsberg in the Harz Mountains. Above ground, rare plants can be found in these areas that grow particularly well on zinc-bearing soils - such as the yellow calamine violet, which is named after the old name for zinc ore "calamine". Zinc ore is no longer mined in Germany today, and the zinc concentrations in the deposits are too low for cost-effective zinc extraction.

The raw material for zinc extraction has therefore traveled a long way, for example, from Australia - mostly by ship - before it is processed into zinc metal in Germany. Transportation is expensive and requires a lot of energy. So it goes without saying that the aim is to transport as little material as possible. The separated rock with low zinc content remains in place.

In this way, less material has to be transported, which means that less energy is used for transport and zinc extraction is more environmentally friendly. In , German chemist Andreas Marggraf also the inventor of a process to extract sugar from beets figured out how to isolate zinc by heating carbon and calamine the stuff in calamine lotion.

Marggraf reported the finding in great detail, which earned him credit for the discovery, even though several European researchers had already completed the same feat. An English metallurgist, William Champion, had even patented the process years earlier. Even Champion was drawing on techniques dating back to the Middle Ages, however.

Zinc was first used in China by at least A. At first, ancient people used zinc ores mostly to make brass an alloy of copper with zinc. So what is zinc good for? About half of the 12 million tons produced a year go to galvanization, according to the IZA. Seventeen percent of zinc's annual production goes into brass and bronze, and yet another 17 percent is used in die-casting, the production of metal parts with the use of molds.

The rest goes to other manufacturing uses, such as creating roofing materials, or into chemical compounds such as zinc oxide. This white powder shows up in everything from sunscreens to solar cells to nuclear reactors, where it helps prevent corrosion. Zinc also has a role in health. It's an essential mineral that keeps the body's enzymes humming. Zinc deficiency can slow growth and hamper the immune system, according to the National Institutes of Health.