Hf is Hafnium

Hf is Hafnium and it is lustrous grey metal that looks like silver.

Hafnium - Periodic Table Element 72

Element 72 was disccovered in 1923 by Coster and von Hevesy.

Hf is atomic number 72 and is a transition metallic element. Hf is highly heat resistant due to a natural attraction to oxygen and nitrogen. Hf also causes electrons to flow freely in space.

Zirconium is the element of choice in production because it as been around longer. Hafnium is very similar to zirconium but it is less abundant and more difficult to seperate from other elements.

178m2HF is an isomer which means that it has a slightly different structure than Hafnium but identical chemical molecules.

72 Hf - Hafnium has a series of isotopes. Isotopes are variations of an element and all isotopes of an element contain the same number of protons. What makes them isotope is the number of neutrons which differs from one isotope to another. Some 72Hf isotopes are stable while others have half-life which means they are radioactive and have a period of decay.

More scientific details of Hf - Hafnium


Uses of Hafnium

• nuclear reactor rods
• incadescent lighting
• gas lamps
• plasma cutting electrodes
• added to alloys
• liquid rocket thruster nozzles
• microprocessor gate insulators

More

Mendeleev predicts the existence of an element that is heavier than titanium and zirconium

Moseley predicts element 72.

Urbain claims to have found element 72.

Bohr and naming Hafnium

Controversy over uses of 178m2HF.

Mining for Hafnium