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112-658: Published research on the Morrow Formation goes back to 1904 in research discussing the zinc and lead deposits of northern Arkansas. The Morrow Formation is found in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico. It can be found at depths of 8,200 to 12,500 feet. In some parts of southeast Eddy County and west areas of Lea counties , New Mexico, it may be found as deep as 15,000 feet. Unique characteristics of this formation are: Source: The Morrow facies (body of rock with specific characteristics)

224-409: A condenser . Some alchemists called this zinc oxide lana philosophica , Latin for "philosopher's wool", because it collected in wooly tufts, whereas others thought it looked like white snow and named it nix album . The name of the metal was probably first documented by Paracelsus , a Swiss-born German alchemist, who referred to the metal as "zincum" or "zinken" in his book Liber Mineralium II , in

336-428: A gamma ray . Zn has three excited metastable states and Zn has two. The isotopes Zn , Zn , Zn and Zn each have only one excited metastable state. The most common decay mode of a radioisotope of zinc with a mass number lower than 66 is electron capture . The decay product resulting from electron capture is an isotope of copper. The most common decay mode of

448-878: A 2,600-year-old shipwreck off Sicily found them to be an alloy made with 75–80% copper, 15–20% zinc and small percentages of nickel, lead and iron. During the later part of first millennium BC the use of brass spread across a wide geographical area from Britain and Spain in the west to Iran , and India in the east. This seems to have been encouraged by exports and influence from the Middle East and eastern Mediterranean where deliberate production of brass from metallic copper and zinc ores had been introduced. The 4th century BC writer Theopompus , quoted by Strabo , describes how heating earth from Andeira in Turkey produced "droplets of false silver", probably metallic zinc, which could be used to turn copper into oreichalkos. In

560-518: A by-product of smelting sulfide ores. Zinc in such remnants in smelting ovens was usually discarded as it was thought to be worthless. The manufacture of brass was known to the Romans by about 30 BC. They made brass by heating powdered calamine (zinc silicate or carbonate), charcoal and copper together in a crucible. The resulting calamine brass was then either cast or hammered into shape for use in weaponry. Some coins struck by Romans in

672-468: A copper-zinc alloy was not understood until the post-medieval period because the zinc vapor which reacted with copper to make brass was not recognized as a metal . The King James Bible makes many references to "brass" to translate "nechosheth" (bronze or copper) from Hebrew to English. The earliest brasses may have been natural alloys made by smelting zinc-rich copper ores . By the Roman period brass

784-400: A half-life of 243.66 days, is the least active radioisotope, followed by Zn with a half-life of 46.5 hours. Zinc has 10 nuclear isomers , of which Zn has the longest half-life, 13.76 h. The superscript m indicates a metastable isotope. The nucleus of a metastable isotope is in an excited state and will return to the ground state by emitting a photon in the form of

896-419: A highly beneficial hard layer of aluminium oxide (Al 2 O 3 ) to be formed on the surface that is thin, transparent, and self-healing. Tin has a similar effect and finds its use especially in seawater applications (naval brasses). Combinations of iron, aluminium, silicon, and manganese make brass wear - and tear-resistant . The addition of as little as 1% iron to a brass alloy will result in an alloy with

1008-657: A lower temperature to allow more zinc to be absorbed . Albertus Magnus noted that the "power" of both calamine and tutty could evaporate and described how the addition of powdered glass could create a film to bind it to the metal. German brass making crucibles are known from Dortmund dating to the 10th century AD and from Soest and Schwerte in Westphalia dating to around the 13th century confirm Theophilus' account, as they are open-topped, although ceramic discs from Soest may have served as loose lids which may have been used to reduce zinc evaporation , and have slag on

1120-515: A metal which, when oxidized, produces pushpanjan , thought to be zinc oxide. Zinc mines at Zawar, near Udaipur in India, have been active since the Mauryan period ( c.  322 and 187 BCE). The smelting of metallic zinc here, however, appears to have begun around the 12th century AD. One estimate is that this location produced an estimated million tonnes of metallic zinc and zinc oxide from

1232-417: A metal–carbon sigma bond . Cobalticyanide paper (Rinnmann's test for Zn) can be used as a chemical indicator for zinc. 4 g of K 3 Co(CN) 6 and 1 g of KClO 3 is dissolved on 100 ml of water. Paper is dipped in the solution and dried at 100 °C. One drop of the sample is dropped onto the dry paper and heated. A green disc indicates the presence of zinc. Various isolated examples of

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1344-438: A noticeable magnetic attraction. Brass will corrode in the presence of moisture, chlorides , acetates , ammonia , and certain acids. This often happens when the copper reacts with sulfur to form a brown and eventually black surface layer of copper sulfide which, if regularly exposed to slightly acidic water such as urban rainwater, can then oxidize in air to form a patina of green-blue copper carbonate . Depending on how

1456-510: A process in 1758 for calcining zinc sulfide into an oxide usable in the retort process. Prior to this, only calamine could be used to produce zinc. In 1798, Johann Christian Ruberg improved on the smelting process by building the first horizontal retort smelter. Jean-Jacques Daniel Dony built a different kind of horizontal zinc smelter in Belgium that processed even more zinc. Italian doctor Luigi Galvani discovered in 1780 that connecting

1568-596: A quantity of what he called "calay" (from the Malay or Hindi word for tin) originating from Malabar off a cargo ship captured from the Portuguese in the year 1596. Libavius described the properties of the sample, which may have been zinc. Zinc was regularly imported to Europe from the Orient in the 17th and early 18th centuries, but was at times very expensive. Metallic zinc was isolated in India by 1300 AD. Before it

1680-401: A radioisotope of zinc with mass number higher than 66 is beta decay (β ), which produces an isotope of gallium . Zinc has an electron configuration of [Ar]3d 4s and is a member of the group 12 of the periodic table . It is a moderately reactive metal and strong reducing agent . The surface of the pure metal tarnishes quickly, eventually forming a protective passivating layer of

1792-455: A role. DZR-brass is used in water boiler systems. This brass alloy must be produced with great care, with special attention placed on a balanced composition and proper production temperatures and parameters to avoid long-term failures. An example of DZR brass is the C352 brass, with about 30% zinc, 61–63% copper, 1.7–2.8% lead, and 0.02–0.15% arsenic. The lead and arsenic significantly suppress

1904-495: A zinc atom in the reactive center are widespread in biochemistry, such as alcohol dehydrogenase in humans. Consumption of excess zinc may cause ataxia , lethargy , and copper deficiency . In marine biomes, notably within polar regions, a deficit of zinc can compromise the vitality of primary algal communities, potentially destabilizing the intricate marine trophic structures and consequently impacting biodiversity. Brass , an alloy of copper and zinc in various proportions,

2016-535: Is sphalerite (zinc blende), a zinc sulfide mineral. The largest workable lodes are in Australia, Asia, and the United States. Zinc is refined by froth flotation of the ore, roasting , and final extraction using electricity ( electrowinning ). Zinc is an essential trace element for humans, animals, plants and for microorganisms and is necessary for prenatal and postnatal development. It

2128-403: Is a chalcophile , meaning the element is more likely to be found in minerals together with sulfur and other heavy chalcogens , rather than with the light chalcogen oxygen or with non-chalcogen electronegative elements such as the halogens . Sulfides formed as the crust solidified under the reducing conditions of the early Earth's atmosphere. Sphalerite , which is a form of zinc sulfide,

2240-697: Is a free reed aerophone , also often made from brass. In organ pipes of the reed family, brass strips (called tongues) are used as the reeds, which beat against the shallot (or beat "through" the shallot in the case of a "free" reed). Although not part of the brass section, snare drums are also sometimes made of brass. Some parts on electric guitars are also made from brass, especially inertia blocks on tremolo systems for its tonal properties, and for string nuts and saddles for both tonal properties and its low friction. The bactericidal properties of brass have been observed for centuries, particularly in marine environments where it prevents biofouling . Depending upon

2352-566: Is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic table . In some respects, zinc is chemically similar to magnesium : both elements exhibit only one normal oxidation state (+2), and the Zn and Mg ions are of similar size. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in Earth's crust and has five stable isotopes . The most common zinc ore

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2464-448: Is an outstanding masterpiece of Romanesque brass casting, though also often described as bronze. The metal of the early 12th-century Gloucester Candlestick is unusual even by medieval standards in being a mixture of copper, zinc, tin, lead, nickel , iron, antimony and arsenic with an unusually large amount of silver , ranging from 22.5% in the base to 5.76% in the pan below the candle. The proportions of this mixture may suggest that

2576-546: Is being smelted. In Britain, John Lane is said to have carried out experiments to smelt zinc, probably at Landore , prior to his bankruptcy in 1726. In 1738 in Great Britain, William Champion patented a process to extract zinc from calamine in a vertical retort -style smelter. His technique resembled that used at Zawar zinc mines in Rajasthan , but no evidence suggests he visited the Orient. Champion's process

2688-527: Is hard and brittle at most temperatures but becomes malleable between 100 and 150 °C. Above 210 °C, the metal becomes brittle again and can be pulverized by beating. Zinc is a fair conductor of electricity . For a metal, zinc has relatively low melting (419.5 °C) and boiling point (907 °C). The melting point is the lowest of all the d-block metals aside from mercury and cadmium ; for this reason among others, zinc, cadmium, and mercury are often not considered to be transition metals like

2800-464: Is implicated by the formation of a yellow diamagnetic glass by dissolving metallic zinc in molten ZnCl 2 . The [Zn 2 ] core would be analogous to the [Hg 2 ] cation present in mercury (I) compounds. The diamagnetic nature of the ion confirms its dimeric structure. The first zinc(I) compound containing the Zn–Zn bond, (η -C 5 Me 5 ) 2 Zn 2 . Binary compounds of zinc are known for most of

2912-410: Is known as Special High Grade, often abbreviated SHG , and is 99.995% pure. Worldwide, 95% of new zinc is mined from sulfidic ore deposits, in which sphalerite (ZnS) is nearly always mixed with the sulfides of copper, lead and iron. Zinc mines are scattered throughout the world, with the main areas being China, Australia, and Peru. China produced 38% of the global zinc output in 2014. Zinc metal

3024-507: Is more malleable than bronze or zinc. The relatively low melting point of brass (900 to 940 °C; 1,650 to 1,720 °F, depending on composition) and its flow characteristics make it a relatively easy material to cast . By varying the proportions of copper and zinc, the properties of the brass can be changed, allowing hard and soft brasses. The density of brass is 8.4 to 8.73 g/cm (0.303 to 0.315 lb/cu in). Today, almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. Because brass

3136-524: Is necessary for the leaching process. If deposits of zinc carbonate , zinc silicate , or zinc-spinel (like the Skorpion Deposit in Namibia ) are used for zinc production, the roasting can be omitted. For further processing two basic methods are used: pyrometallurgy or electrowinning . Pyrometallurgy reduces zinc oxide with carbon or carbon monoxide at 950 °C (1,740 °F) into

3248-430: Is not ferromagnetic , ferrous scrap can be separated from it by passing the scrap near a powerful magnet. Brass scrap is melted and recast into billets that are extruded into the desired form and size. The general softness of brass means that it can often be machined without the use of cutting fluid , though there are exceptions to this. Aluminium makes brass stronger and more corrosion-resistant. Aluminium also causes

3360-426: Is not as hard as bronze and so is not suitable for most weapons and tools. Nor is it suitable for marine uses, because the zinc reacts with minerals in salt water, leaving porous copper behind; marine brass, with added tin, avoids this, as does bronze. Brass is often used in situations in which it is important that sparks not be struck, such as in fittings and tools used near flammable or explosive materials. Brass

3472-437: Is produced using extractive metallurgy . The ore is finely ground, then put through froth flotation to separate minerals from gangue (on the property of hydrophobicity ), to get a zinc sulfide ore concentrate consisting of about 50% zinc, 32% sulfur, 13% iron, and 5% SiO 2 . Roasting converts the zinc sulfide concentrate to zinc oxide: The sulfur dioxide is used for the production of sulfuric acid, which

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3584-498: Is still commonly used in applications where corrosion resistance and low friction are required, such as locks , hinges , gears , bearings , ammunition casings, zippers , plumbing , hose couplings , valves and electrical plugs and sockets . It is used extensively for musical instruments such as horns and bells . The composition of brass makes it a favorable substitute for copper in costume jewelry and fashion jewelry , as it exhibits greater resistance to corrosion. Brass

3696-529: Is susceptible to stress corrosion cracking , especially from ammonia or substances containing or releasing ammonia. The problem is sometimes known as season cracking after it was first discovered in brass cartridges used for rifle ammunition during the 1920s in the British Indian Army . The problem was caused by high residual stresses from cold forming of the cases during manufacture, together with chemical attack from traces of ammonia in

3808-532: Is the most heavily mined zinc-containing ore because its concentrate contains 60–62% zinc. Other source minerals for zinc include smithsonite (zinc carbonate ), hemimorphite (zinc silicate ), wurtzite (another zinc sulfide), and sometimes hydrozincite (basic zinc carbonate ). With the exception of wurtzite, all these other minerals were formed by weathering of the primordial zinc sulfides. Identified world zinc resources total about 1.9–2.8 billion tonnes . Large deposits are in Australia, Canada and

3920-488: Is the second most abundant trace metal in humans after iron and it is the only metal which appears in all enzyme classes . Zinc is also an essential nutrient element for coral growth as it is an important cofactor for many enzymes. Zinc deficiency affects about two billion people in the developing world and is associated with many diseases. In children, deficiency causes growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, infection susceptibility, and diarrhea . Enzymes with

4032-559: The Ancient Greek translation of this term, was later adapted to the Latin aurichalcum meaning "golden copper" which became the standard term for brass. In the 4th century BC Plato knew orichalkos as rare and nearly as valuable as gold and Pliny describes how aurichalcum had come from Cypriot ore deposits which had been exhausted by the 1st century AD. X-ray fluorescence analysis of 39 orichalcum ingots recovered from

4144-599: The Bronze Head from Ife of "heavily leaded zinc-brass" and the Bronze Head of Queen Idia , both also British Museum, are better described as brass, though of variable compositions. Work in brass or bronze continued to be important in Benin art and other West African traditions such as Akan goldweights , where the metal was regarded as a more valuable material than in Europe. The Renaissance saw important changes to both

4256-674: The Eastern Mediterranean early copper-zinc alloys are now known in small numbers from a number of 3rd millennium BC sites in the Aegean , Iraq , the United Arab Emirates , Kalmykia , Turkmenistan and Georgia and from 2nd millennium BC sites in western India , Uzbekistan , Iran , Syria , Iraq and Canaan . Isolated examples of copper-zinc alloys are known in China from the 1st century AD, long after bronze

4368-469: The metalloids and all the nonmetals except the noble gases . The oxide ZnO is a white powder that is nearly insoluble in neutral aqueous solutions, but is amphoteric , dissolving in both strong basic and acidic solutions. The other chalcogenides ( ZnS , ZnSe , and ZnTe ) have varied applications in electronics and optics. Pnictogenides ( Zn 3 N 2 , Zn 3 P 2 , Zn 3 As 2 and Zn 3 Sb 2 ),

4480-416: The saxhorns . Other wind instruments may be constructed of brass or other metals, and indeed most modern student-model flutes and piccolos are made of some variety of brass, usually a cupronickel alloy similar to nickel silver (also known as German silver) . Clarinets , especially low clarinets such as the contrabass and subcontrabass , are sometimes made of metal because of limited supplies of

4592-453: The saxophones and sarrusophones are classified as woodwind instruments, they are normally made of brass for similar reasons, and because their wide, conical bores and thin-walled bodies are more easily and efficiently made by forming sheet metal than by machining wood. The keywork of most modern woodwinds, including wooden-bodied instruments, is also usually made of an alloy such as nickel silver. Such alloys are stiffer and more durable than

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4704-518: The spinal cord of a freshly dissected frog to an iron rail attached by a brass hook caused the frog's leg to twitch. He incorrectly thought he had discovered an ability of nerves and muscles to create electricity and called the effect " animal electricity ". The galvanic cell and the process of galvanization were both named for Luigi Galvani, and his discoveries paved the way for electrical batteries , galvanization, and cathodic protection . Galvani's friend, Alessandro Volta , continued researching

4816-475: The surface area of the copper helping it react and zinc contents of up to 33% wt were reported using this new technique. In 1738 Nehemiah's son William Champion patented a technique for the first industrial scale distillation of metallic zinc known as distillation per descencum or "the English process". This local zinc was used in speltering and allowed greater control over the zinc content of brass and

4928-403: The 12th to 16th centuries. Another estimate gives a total production of 60,000 tonnes of metallic zinc over this period. The Rasaratna Samuccaya , written in approximately the 13th century AD, mentions two types of zinc-containing ores: one used for metal extraction and another used for medicinal purposes. Zinc was distinctly recognized as a metal under the designation of Yasada or Jasada in

5040-508: The 13th century Italian Marco Polo describe how this was obtained by sublimation from zinc ores and condensed onto clay or iron bars, archaeological examples of which have been identified at Kush in Iran. It could then be used for brass making or medicinal purposes. In 10th century Yemen al-Hamdani described how spreading al-iglimiya , probably zinc oxide, onto the surface of molten copper produced tutiya vapor which then reacted with

5152-619: The 16th century. The word is probably derived from the German zinke , and supposedly meant "tooth-like, pointed or jagged" (metallic zinc crystals have a needle-like appearance). Zink could also imply "tin-like" because of its relation to German zinn meaning tin. Yet another possibility is that the word is derived from the Persian word سنگ seng meaning stone. The metal was also called Indian tin , tutanego , calamine , and spinter . German metallurgist Andreas Libavius received

5264-528: The 1st century BC the Greek Dioscorides seems to have recognized a link between zinc minerals and brass describing how Cadmia ( zinc oxide ) was found on the walls of furnaces used to heat either zinc ore or copper and explaining that it can then be used to make brass. By the first century BC brass was available in sufficient supply to use as coinage in Phrygia and Bithynia , and after

5376-422: The 24th most abundant element. It also makes up 312 ppm of the solar system, where it is the 22nd most abundant element. Typical background concentrations of zinc do not exceed 1 μg/m in the atmosphere; 300 mg/kg in soil; 100 mg/kg in vegetation; 20 μg/L in freshwater and 5 μg/L in seawater. The element is normally found in association with other base metals such as copper and lead in ores . Zinc

5488-515: The Augustan currency reform of 23 BC it was also used to make Roman dupondii and sestertii . The uniform use of brass for coinage and military equipment across the Roman world may indicate a degree of state involvement in the industry, and brass even seems to have been deliberately boycotted by Jewish communities in Palestine because of its association with Roman authority. Brass

5600-570: The Christian era are made of what is probably calamine brass. The oldest known pills were made of the zinc carbonates hydrozincite and smithsonite. The pills were used for sore eyes and were found aboard the Roman ship Relitto del Pozzino , wrecked in 140 BC. The Berne zinc tablet is a votive plaque dating to Roman Gaul made of an alloy that is mostly zinc. The Charaka Samhita , thought to have been written between 300 and 500 AD, mentions

5712-563: The European and Islamic worlds. The cementation process continued to be used but literary sources from both Europe and the Islamic world seem to describe variants of a higher temperature liquid process which took place in open-topped crucibles. Islamic cementation seems to have used zinc oxide known as tutiya or tutty rather than zinc ores for brass-making, resulting in a metal with lower iron impurities. A number of Islamic writers and

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5824-404: The German chemist Johann Glauber had recognized that calamine was "nothing else but unmeltable zinc" and that zinc was a "half ripe metal". However some earlier high zinc, low iron brasses such as the 1530 Wightman brass memorial plaque from England may have been made by alloying copper with zinc and include traces of cadmium similar to those found in some zinc ingots from China. However,

5936-585: The Germany city of Aachen alone was capable of producing 300,000 cwt of brass per year. After several false starts during the 16th and 17th centuries the brass industry was also established in England taking advantage of abundant supplies of cheap copper smelted in the new coal fired reverberatory furnace . In 1723 Bristol brass maker Nehemiah Champion patented the use of granulated copper, produced by pouring molten metal into cold water. This increased

6048-655: The Morrowan in SE New Mexico, during the time of the ancient Delaware Sea. This article about a specific stratigraphic formation in Oklahoma is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to the Carboniferous period is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It

6160-493: The Roman process and the use of the term tutty by Albertus Magnus in the 13th century suggests influence from Islamic technology. The 12th century German monk Theophilus described how preheated crucibles were one sixth filled with powdered calamine and charcoal then topped up with copper and charcoal before being melted, stirred then filled again. The final product was cast , then again melted with calamine. It has been suggested that this second melting may have taken place at

6272-478: The United States, with the largest reserves in Iran . The most recent estimate of reserve base for zinc (meets specified minimum physical criteria related to current mining and production practices) was made in 2009 and calculated to be roughly 480 Mt. Zinc reserves, on the other hand, are geologically identified ore bodies whose suitability for recovery is economically based (location, grade, quality, and quantity) at

6384-440: The atmosphere. The cartridges were stored in stables and the ammonia concentration rose during the hot summer months, thus initiating brittle cracks. The problem was resolved by annealing the cases, and storing the cartridges elsewhere. Other phases than α, β and γ are ε, a hexagonal intermetallic CuZn 3 , and η, a solid solution of copper in zinc. Although forms of brass have been in use since prehistory , its true nature as

6496-653: The average brass key, new or old, exceeded the California Proposition 65 limits by an average factor of 19, assuming handling twice a day. In April 2001 manufacturers agreed to reduce lead content to 1.5%, or face a requirement to warn consumers about lead content. Keys plated with other metals are not affected by the settlement, and may continue to use brass alloys with a higher percentage of lead content. Also in California, lead-free materials must be used for "each component that comes into contact with

6608-419: The basic zinc carbonate , Zn 5 (OH) 6 (CO 3 ) 2 , by reaction with atmospheric carbon dioxide . Zinc burns in air with a bright bluish-green flame, giving off fumes of zinc oxide . Zinc reacts readily with acids , alkalis and other non-metals. Extremely pure zinc reacts only slowly at room temperature with acids. Strong acids, such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid , can remove

6720-577: The brass used to construct the instrument bodies, but still workable with simple hand tools—a boon to quick repairs. The mouthpieces of both brass instruments and, less commonly, woodwind instruments are often made of brass among other metals as well. Next to the brass instruments, the most notable use of brass in music is in various percussion instruments , most notably cymbals , gongs , and orchestral (tubular) bells (large "church" bells are normally made of bronze ). Small handbells and " jingle bells " are also commonly made of brass. The harmonica

6832-413: The brass will corrode galvanically; conversely, if brass is in contact with a less-noble metal such as zinc or iron, the less noble metal will corrode and the brass will be protected. To enhance the machinability of brass, lead is often added in concentrations of about 2%. Since lead has a lower melting point than the other constituents of the brass, it tends to migrate towards the grain boundaries in

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6944-491: The candlestick was made from a hoard of old coins, probably Late Roman. Latten is a term for medieval alloys of uncertain and often variable composition often covering decorative borders and similar objects cut from sheet metal, whether of brass or bronze. Especially in Tibetan art , analysis of some objects shows very different compositions from different ends of a large piece. Aquamaniles were typically made in brass in both

7056-422: The cementation process was not abandoned, and as late as the early 19th century there are descriptions of solid-state cementation in a domed furnace at around 900–950 °C and lasting up to 10 hours. The European brass industry continued to flourish into the post medieval period buoyed by innovations such as the 16th century introduction of water powered hammers for the production of wares such as pots. By 1559

7168-420: The chromate ZnCrO 4 (one of the few colored zinc compounds) are a few examples of other common inorganic compounds of zinc. Organozinc compounds are those that contain zinc– carbon covalent bonds. Diethylzinc ( (C 2 H 5 ) 2 Zn ) is a reagent in synthetic chemistry. It was first reported in 1848 from the reaction of zinc and ethyl iodide , and was the first compound known to contain

7280-434: The dense, fine-grained tropical hardwoods traditionally preferred for smaller woodwinds . For the same reason, some low clarinets, bassoons and contrabassoons feature a hybrid construction, with long, straight sections of wood, and curved joints, neck, and/or bell of metal. The use of metal also avoids the risks of exposing wooden instruments to changes in temperature or humidity, which can cause sudden cracking. Even though

7392-690: The distinction between the two alloys has been less consistent and clear, and increasingly museums use the more general term " copper alloy ". Brass has long been a popular material for its bright gold-like appearance and is still used for drawer pulls and doorknobs . It has also been widely used to make sculpture and utensils because of its low melting point, high workability (both with hand tools and with modern turning and milling machines), durability, and electrical and thermal conductivity . Brasses with higher copper content are softer and more golden in colour; conversely those with less copper and thus more zinc are harder and more silvery in colour. Brass

7504-569: The effect and invented the Voltaic pile in 1800. Volta's pile consisted of a stack of simplified galvanic cells , each being one plate of copper and one of zinc connected by an electrolyte . By stacking these units in series, the Voltaic pile (or "battery") as a whole had a higher voltage, which could be used more easily than single cells. Electricity is produced because the Volta potential between

7616-469: The end of the process presumably to maximize zinc absorption in the final stages. Triangular crucibles were then used to melt the brass for casting . 16th-century technical writers such as Biringuccio , Ercker and Agricola described a variety of cementation brass making techniques and came closer to understanding the true nature of the process noting that copper became heavier as it changed to brass and that it became more golden as additional calamine

7728-446: The end of the process. Dioscorides mentioned that zinc minerals were used for both the working and finishing of brass, perhaps suggesting secondary additions. Brass made during the early Roman period seems to have varied between 20% and 28% wt zinc. The high content of zinc in coinage and brass objects declined after the first century AD and it has been suggested that this reflects zinc loss during recycling and thus an interruption in

7840-579: The family of red brasses. Gunmetal alloys contain roughly 88% copper, 8–10% tin, and 2–4% zinc. Lead can be added for ease of machining or for bearing alloys. "Naval brass", for use in seawater, contains 40% zinc but also 1% tin. The tin addition suppresses zinc leaching. The NSF International requires brasses with more than 15% zinc, used in piping and plumbing fittings , to be dezincification-resistant. The high malleability and workability, relatively good resistance to corrosion , and traditionally attributed acoustic properties of brass, have made it

7952-626: The form of globules as it cools from casting. The pattern the globules form on the surface of the brass increases the available lead surface area which, in turn, affects the degree of leaching. In addition, cutting operations can smear the lead globules over the surface. These effects can lead to significant lead leaching from brasses of comparatively low lead content. In October 1999, the California State Attorney General sued 13 key manufacturers and distributors over lead content. In laboratory tests, state researchers found

8064-439: The formation of Zn 2 Cl 2 , a zinc compound with a +1 oxidation state. No compounds of zinc in positive oxidation states other than +1 or +2 are known. Calculations indicate that a zinc compound with the oxidation state of +4 is unlikely to exist. Zn(III) is predicted to exist in the presence of strongly electronegative trianions; however, there exists some doubt around this possibility. But in 2021 another compound

8176-461: The hydroxide Zn(OH) 2 forms as a white precipitate . In stronger alkaline solutions, this hydroxide is dissolved to form zincates ( [Zn(OH) 4 ] ). The nitrate Zn(NO 3 ) 2 , chlorate Zn(ClO 3 ) 2 , sulfate ZnSO 4 , phosphate Zn 3 (PO 4 ) 2 , molybdate ZnMoO 4 , cyanide Zn(CN) 2 , arsenite Zn(AsO 2 ) 2 , arsenate Zn(AsO 4 ) 2 ·8H 2 O and

8288-774: The increasing popularity of brass in the east and by the 6th–7th centuries AD over 90% of copper alloy artefacts from Egypt were made of brass. However other alloys such as low tin bronze were also used and they vary depending on local cultural attitudes, the purpose of the metal and access to zinc, especially between the Islamic and Byzantine world. Conversely the use of true brass seems to have declined in Western Europe during this period in favor of gunmetals and other mixed alloys but by about 1000 brass artefacts are found in Scandinavian graves in Scotland , brass

8400-418: The interior and are lidded. They show no signs of slag or metal prills suggesting that zinc minerals were heated to produce zinc vapor which reacted with metallic copper in a solid state reaction . The fabric of these crucibles is porous, probably designed to prevent a buildup of pressure, and many have small holes in the lids which may be designed to release pressure or to add additional zinc minerals near

8512-701: The interior resulting from a liquid process. Some of the most famous objects in African art are the lost wax castings of West Africa, mostly from what is now Nigeria , produced first by the Kingdom of Ife and then the Benin Empire . Though normally described as "bronzes", the Benin Bronzes , now mostly in the British Museum and other Western collections, and the large portrait heads such as

8624-405: The large number of copper-zinc alloys now known suggests that at least some were deliberately manufactured and many have zinc contents of more than 12% wt which would have resulted in a distinctive golden colour. By the 8th–7th century BC Assyrian cuneiform tablets mention the exploitation of the "copper of the mountains" and this may refer to "natural" brass. "Oreikhalkon" (mountain copper),

8736-474: The larger proportion, generally 66% copper and 34% zinc. In use since prehistoric times, it is a substitutional alloy : atoms of the two constituents may replace each other within the same crystal structure. Brass is similar to bronze , a copper alloy that contains tin instead of zinc. Both bronze and brass may include small proportions of a range of other elements including arsenic , lead , phosphorus , aluminium , manganese and silicon . Historically,

8848-459: The medical Lexicon ascribed to the Hindu king Madanapala (of Taka dynasty) and written about the year 1374. Smelting and extraction of impure zinc by reducing calamine with wool and other organic substances was accomplished in the 13th century in India. The Chinese did not learn of the technique until the 17th century. Alchemists burned zinc metal in air and collected the resulting zinc oxide on

8960-548: The metal, which is distilled as zinc vapor to separate it from other metals, which are not volatile at those temperatures. The zinc vapor is collected in a condenser. The equations below describe this process: In electrowinning , zinc is leached from the ore concentrate by sulfuric acid and impurities are precipitated: Brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc , in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has

9072-407: The metal. The 13th century Iranian writer al-Kashani describes a more complex process whereby tutiya was mixed with raisins and gently roasted before being added to the surface of the molten metal. A temporary lid was added at this point presumably to minimize the escape of zinc vapor. In Europe a similar liquid process in open-topped crucibles took place which was probably less efficient than

9184-420: The organic laboratory. Zinc is a bluish-white, lustrous, diamagnetic metal, though most common commercial grades of the metal have a dull finish. It is somewhat less dense than iron and has a hexagonal crystal structure , with a distorted form of hexagonal close packing , in which each atom has six nearest neighbors (at 265.9 pm) in its own plane and six others at a greater distance of 290.6 pm. The metal

9296-525: The passivating layer and the subsequent reaction with the acid releases hydrogen gas. The chemistry of zinc is dominated by the +2 oxidation state. When compounds in this oxidation state are formed, the outer shell s electrons are lost, yielding a bare zinc ion with the electronic configuration [Ar]3d . In aqueous solution an octahedral complex, [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] is the predominant species. The volatilization of zinc in combination with zinc chloride at temperatures above 285 °C indicates

9408-424: The patina layer was formed, it may protect the underlying brass from further damage. Although copper and zinc have a large difference in electrical potential , the resulting brass alloy does not experience internalized galvanic corrosion because of the absence of a corrosive environment within the mixture. However, if brass is placed in contact with a more noble metal such as silver or gold in such an environment,

9520-406: The peroxide ( ZnO 2 ), the hydride ( ZnH 2 ), and the carbide ( ZnC 2 ) are also known. Of the four halides , ZnF 2 has the most ionic character, while the others ( ZnCl 2 , ZnBr 2 , and ZnI 2 ) have relatively low melting points and are considered to have more covalent character. In weak basic solutions containing Zn ions,

9632-456: The production of high-zinc copper alloys which would have been difficult or impossible to produce using cementation, for use in expensive objects such as scientific instruments , clocks , brass buttons and costume jewelry . However Champion continued to use the cheaper calamine cementation method to produce lower-zinc brass and the archaeological remains of bee-hive shaped cementation furnaces have been identified at his works at Warmley . By

9744-528: The production of new brass. However it is now thought this was probably a deliberate change in composition and overall the use of brass increases over this period making up around 40% of all copper alloys used in the Roman world by the 4th century AD. Little is known about the production of brass during the centuries immediately after the collapse of the Roman Empire . Disruption in the trade of tin for bronze from Western Europe may have contributed to

9856-399: The remainder, have been found that are 2,500 years old. A possibly prehistoric statuette containing 87.5% zinc was found in a Dacian archaeological site. Strabo writing in the 1st century BC (but quoting a now lost work of the 4th century BC historian Theopompus ) mentions "drops of false silver" which when mixed with copper make brass. This may refer to small quantities of zinc that is

9968-541: The reserve lifetime for zinc has remained unchanged. About 346 million tonnes have been extracted throughout history to 2002, and scholars have estimated that about 109–305 million tonnes are in use. Five stable isotopes of zinc occur in nature, with Zn being the most abundant isotope (49.17% natural abundance ). The other isotopes found in nature are Zn (27.73%), Zn (4.04%), Zn (18.45%), and Zn (0.61%). Several dozen radioisotopes have been characterized. Zn , which has

10080-497: The rest of the d-block metals. Many alloys contain zinc, including brass. Other metals long known to form binary alloys with zinc are aluminium , antimony , bismuth , gold , iron, lead , mercury, silver , tin , magnesium , cobalt , nickel , tellurium , and sodium . Although neither zinc nor zirconium is ferromagnetic , their alloy, ZrZn 2 , exhibits ferromagnetism below 35  K . Zinc makes up about 75  ppm  (0.0075%) of Earth's crust , making it

10192-529: The same crystal structure , and in other circumstances where ionic radius is a determining factor, the chemistry of zinc has much in common with that of magnesium. In other respects, there is little similarity with the late first-row transition metals. Zinc tends to form bonds with a greater degree of covalency and much more stable complexes with N - and S - donors. Complexes of zinc are mostly 4- or 6- coordinate , although 5-coordinate complexes are known. Zinc(I) compounds are very rare. The [Zn 2 ] ion

10304-598: The second known zinc-containing enzyme in 1955. Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use, trailing only iron , aluminium , and copper with an annual production of about 13 million tonnes. The world's largest zinc producer is Nyrstar , a merger of the Australian OZ Minerals and the Belgian Umicore . About 70% of the world's zinc originates from mining, while the remaining 30% comes from recycling secondary zinc. Commercially pure zinc

10416-476: The theory and practice of brassmaking in Europe. By the 15th century there is evidence for the renewed use of lidded cementation crucibles at Zwickau in Germany. These large crucibles were capable of producing c.20 kg of brass. There are traces of slag and pieces of metal on the interior. Their irregular composition suggests that this was a lower temperature, not entirely liquid, process. The crucible lids had small holes which were blocked with clay plugs near

10528-533: The time of determination. Since exploration and mine development is an ongoing process, the amount of zinc reserves is not a fixed number and sustainability of zinc ore supplies cannot be judged by simply extrapolating the combined mine life of today's zinc mines. This concept is well supported by data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which illustrates that although refined zinc production increased 80% between 1990 and 2010,

10640-423: The two metal plates makes electrons flow from the zinc to the copper and corrode the zinc. The non-magnetic character of zinc and its lack of color in solution delayed discovery of its importance to biochemistry and nutrition. This changed in 1940 when carbonic anhydrase , an enzyme that scrubs carbon dioxide from blood, was shown to have zinc in its active site . The digestive enzyme carboxypeptidase became

10752-442: The type and concentration of pathogens and the medium they are in, brass kills these microorganisms within a few minutes to hours of contact. A large number of independent studies confirm this antimicrobial effect, even against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA and VRSA. The mechanisms of antimicrobial action by copper and its alloys, including brass, are a subject of intense and ongoing investigation. Brass

10864-498: The use of impure zinc in ancient times have been discovered. Zinc ores were used to make the zinc–copper alloy brass thousands of years prior to the discovery of zinc as a separate element. Judean brass from the 14th to 10th centuries BC contains 23% zinc. Knowledge of how to produce brass spread to Ancient Greece by the 7th century BC, but few varieties were made. Ornaments made of alloys containing 80–90% zinc, with lead, iron, antimony , and other metals making up

10976-568: The usual metal of choice for construction of musical instruments whose acoustic resonators consist of long, relatively narrow tubing, often folded or coiled for compactness; silver and its alloys, and even gold , have been used for the same reasons, but brass is the most economical choice. Collectively known as brass instruments , or simply 'the brass', these include the trombone , tuba , trumpet , cornet , flugelhorn , baritone horn , euphonium , tenor horn , and French horn , and many other " horns ", many in variously sized families, such as

11088-525: The wetted surface of pipes and pipe fittings, plumbing fittings and fixtures". On 1 January 2010, the maximum amount of lead in "lead-free brass" in California was reduced from 4% to 0.25% lead. Dezincification-resistant ( DZR or DR) brasses, sometimes referred to as CR ( corrosion resistant) brasses, are used where there is a large corrosion risk and where normal brasses do not meet the requirements. Applications with high water temperatures, chlorides present or deviating water qualities ( soft water ) play

11200-409: The zinc loss. "Red brasses", a family of alloys with high copper proportion and generally less than 15% zinc, are more resistant to zinc loss. One of the metals called "red brass" is 85% copper, 5% tin, 5% lead, and 5% zinc. Copper alloy C23000, which is also known as "red brass", contains 84–86% copper, 0.05% each iron and lead, with the balance being zinc. Another such material is gunmetal , from

11312-531: Was added. Zinc metal was also becoming more commonplace. By 1513 metallic zinc ingots from India and China were arriving in London and pellets of zinc condensed in furnace flues at the Rammelsberg in Germany were exploited for cementation brass making from around 1550. Eventually it was discovered that metallic zinc could be alloyed with copper to make brass, a process known as speltering, and by 1657

11424-454: Was being deliberately produced from metallic copper and zinc minerals using the cementation process, the product of which was calamine brass , and variations on this method continued until the mid-19th century. It was eventually replaced by speltering , the direct alloying of copper and zinc metal which was introduced to Europe in the 16th century. Brass has sometimes historically been referred to as "yellow copper". In West Asia and

11536-733: Was being used in the manufacture of coins in Northumbria and there is archaeological and historical evidence for the production of calamine brass in Germany and the Low Countries , areas rich in calamine ore. These places would remain important centres of brass making throughout the Middle Ages period, especially Dinant . Brass objects are still collectively known as dinanderie in French. The baptismal font at St Bartholomew's Church, Liège in modern Belgium (before 1117)

11648-487: Was deposited in a complex of mixed siliciclastic (mostly silica bearing rock) and carbonate depositional environments . The Morrow Formation is typically divided into two intervals: Source: In Prediction of reservoir geometries in the Morrow of southeastern New Mexico, the southern shelf of Belize , Central America is considered an analogue in the present time to the depositional process that had taken place in

11760-540: Was isolated in Europe, it was imported from India in about 1600 CE. Postlewayt 's Universal Dictionary , a contemporary source giving technological information in Europe, did not mention zinc before 1751 but the element was studied before then. Flemish metallurgist and alchemist P. M. de Respour reported that he had extracted metallic zinc from zinc oxide in 1668. By the start of the 18th century, Étienne François Geoffroy described how zinc oxide condenses as yellow crystals on bars of iron placed above zinc ore that

11872-477: Was known to the ancient Romans and Greeks. The mines of Rajasthan have given definite evidence of zinc production going back to the 6th century BC. The oldest evidence of pure zinc comes from Zawar, in Rajasthan, as early as the 9th century AD when a distillation process was employed to make pure zinc. Alchemists burned zinc in air to form what they called " philosopher's wool " or "white snow". The element

11984-786: Was probably named by the alchemist Paracelsus after the German word Zinke (prong, tooth). German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf is credited with discovering pure metallic zinc in 1746. Work by Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta uncovered the electrochemical properties of zinc by 1800. Corrosion -resistant zinc plating of iron ( hot-dip galvanizing ) is the major application for zinc. Other applications are in electrical batteries , small non-structural castings, and alloys such as brass. A variety of zinc compounds are commonly used, such as zinc carbonate and zinc gluconate (as dietary supplements), zinc chloride (in deodorants), zinc pyrithione (anti- dandruff shampoos), zinc sulfide (in luminescent paints), and dimethylzinc or diethylzinc in

12096-671: Was produced by the cementation process where copper and zinc ore are heated together until zinc vapor is produced which reacts with the copper. There is good archaeological evidence for this process and crucibles used to produce brass by cementation have been found on Roman period sites including Xanten and Nidda in Germany , Lyon in France and at a number of sites in Britain. They vary in size from tiny acorn sized to large amphorae like vessels but all have elevated levels of zinc on

12208-421: Was reported with more evidence that had the oxidation state of +3 with the formula ZnBeB 11 (CN) 12 . Zinc chemistry is similar to the chemistry of the late first-row transition metals, nickel and copper, though it has a filled d-shell and compounds are diamagnetic and mostly colorless. The ionic radii of zinc and magnesium happen to be nearly identical. Because of this some of the equivalent salts have

12320-416: Was used as early as the third millennium BC in the Aegean area and the region which currently includes Iraq , the United Arab Emirates , Kalmykia , Turkmenistan and Georgia . In the second millennium BC it was used in the regions currently including West India , Uzbekistan , Iran , Syria , Iraq, and Israel . Zinc metal was not produced on a large scale until the 12th century in India, though it

12432-507: Was used through 1851. German chemist Andreas Marggraf normally gets credit for isolating pure metallic zinc in the West, even though Swedish chemist Anton von Swab had distilled zinc from calamine four years previously. In his 1746 experiment, Marggraf heated a mixture of calamine and charcoal in a closed vessel without copper to obtain a metal. This procedure became commercially practical by 1752. William Champion's brother, John, patented

12544-482: Was widely used. The compositions of these early "brass" objects are highly variable and most have zinc contents of between 5% and 15% wt which is lower than in brass produced by cementation. These may be "natural alloys" manufactured by smelting zinc rich copper ores in redox conditions. Many have similar tin contents to contemporary bronze artefacts and it is possible that some copper-zinc alloys were accidental and perhaps not even distinguished from copper. However

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