Alloys of zinc: - Zinc German: Zink and also known as spelter) is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal of the group 12 of the periodic table. Although zinc has been used in the copper-zinc alloy brass since Roman times, and the metal was produced in large scale in India around 1200 AD, the pure metal was unknown to Europe until the end of the 16th century. Industrial-scale production in Europe had not started until the late 18th century. Corrosion-resistant zinc plating of steel is the major application for zinc. Other applications are in batteries and alloys, such as brass. Sphalerite, a zinc sulfide, is the most important zinc ore. Zinc production includes roasting, leaching and, at the end, pyrometallurgic winning or electrowinning.
Zinc is an essential mineral, necessary for sustaining all life. Enzymes with a zinc atom in the reactive center are widespread in biochemistry, such as the alcohol dehydrogenase in humans. Consumption of higher concentrations of zinc can cause ataxia, lethargy and copper deficiency.
A variety of zinc compounds find use industrially, such as zinc chloride (in deodorants), zinc pyrithione (anti-dandruff shampoos), zinc sulfide (in luminescent paints), and zinc methyl or zinc diethyl in the organic laboratory. Roughly one quarter of all zinc output is consumed in the form of zinc compounds.
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