Hafnium - Element Properties and Periodic Table Information

Hafnium - An element from the Periodic Table based on the IOUPAC 1985 standard

Chemical Elements

Periodic Table

Definition of the Hafnium Element
A brilliant, silvery, metallic element separated from ores of zirconium and used in nuclear reactor control rods, as a getter for oxygen and nitrogen, and in the manufacture of tungsten filaments.

Origin / Meaning of the name Hafnium
The word  Hafnium originates from the Latin Hafnia for "Copenhagen".

Classification of the Hafnium Element
Hafnium is classified as a "Transition Metal" which are located in Groups 3 - 12 of the Periodic Table. An Element classified as a Transition Metals is ductile, malleable, and able to conduct electricity and heat.

Facts about the History and the Discovery of the Hafnium Element
Hafnium was discovered by Dirk Coster and Georg von Hevesy in 1923 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Found in zircon through X-ray spectroscope analysis in Norway.  First separated from zirconium through re-crystallization of double ammonium or potassium fluorides by Jantzen and von Hevesey. Metallic Hafnium was first prepared by Anton Eduard van Arkel and Jan Hendrik deBoer. Associated with zirconium by using the Bohr theory.

Occurrence the Hafnium Element
Does not exist as a free element in nature
Obtained from zircon
Found combined in natural zirconium compounds and minerals such as alvite

Associated Uses of Hafnium
Nuclear reactors
Hafnium reactor
The Hafnium bomb
Used in incandescent lamps
Tungsten filaments
 

The Properties of the Hafnium Element
Name of Element : Hafnium
Symbol of Element : Hf
Atomic Number of Hafnium : 72
Atomic Mass: 178.49 amu
Melting Point: 2150.0 °C - 2423.15 °K
Boiling Point: 5400.0 °C - 5673.15 °K
Number of Protons/Electrons in Hafnium : 72
Number of Neutrons in Hafnium : 106
Crystal Structure: Hexagonal
Density @ 293 K: 13.2 g/cm3
Color of Hafnium : silvery

Hafnium and the Periodic Table
Check out Hafnium on the Periodic Table which arranges each chemical element according to its atomic number, as based on the periodic law, so that chemical elements with similar properties are in the same column. Our Periodic Table is simple to use - just click on the symbol for Hafnium for additional information and for an instant comparison of the Atomic Weight, Melting Point, Boiling Point and Mass - G/cc with any other element. An invaluable source of facts and information as a Chemistry reference guide.

Hafnium - IUPAC and the Modern Standardised Periodic Table
The Standardised Periodic Table in use today was agreed by the International Union of Pure Applied Chemistry, IUPAC, in 1985 and now recognises more periods and elements than Dimitri  Mendeleev knew in his day but still all fitting into his concept of  the "Periodic Table" in which Hafnium is just one element that can be found.
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The Element Hafnium

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