Metalpedia
Metalpedia
  • Zinc: discovery and industry development
  • Zinc is one of the elements best known for its compounds. It was first found and used in China. Both its English name Zinc and chemical symbol Zn come from the Latin Zincum, which means "white thin layer" or "white sediments".
  • Long before the discovery of metal zinc, its alloy brass (made by melting zinc ore and copper) was first used by ancient peoples. As carbon and zinc were heated together, the temperature would easily rise to 1000℃ and above. As the boiling point of zinc is 906℃, the zinc soon became steam, and was lost with the smoke, something which wasn't recognized by early peoples. Only after the ancients had acquired knowledge of gas condensation methods, would metal zinc finally be obtained.
  • In 1745, pure metal zinc was confirmed in a sunken ship belonging to the East India company, which proved to be a consignment delivered to China.
  • In recent years, although the lead and zinc industries have continued to play an important role in the world, the phenomenon of excess capacity on the lead and zinc markets has become commonplace. The global zinc industry has now reached a peak of development, and as demand for zinc continues to be stable, future development in the zinc industry may be as a result of advances in technology, improving and optimizing the products’ quality, as well as in the zinc industrial structure.
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