Why Zinc Is an Excellent Anti Corrosion Agent
Zinc is considered an essential mineral, specifically suitable for prenatal and postnatal development. But Zinc as part of a dietary regimen and where it is the second most abundant metal in the body, is only a tiny part of the mineral’s story. Zinc is actually a chemical element, with an atomic number of 30 and a symbol of Zn on the periodic table. It is also the 24th most abundant element within the Earth’s crust and can be found in great quantities in the U.S., Australia and Asia.
History
Zinc, while not as common as iron or copper, was utilized by Greeks and Romans of antiquity. A common issue with zinc is that it is prone to boil away prior to reaching the temperature necessary to extract it from ore. This mineral is also more commonly used as an alloy rather than as a pure metal.
From a health perspective, zinc carbonates hydrozincite and smithsonite were common pills taken for things such as sore eyes. Some of these pills were even found on the Relitto del Pozzino, a Roman vessel shipwrecked in 140 BC.
During the early part of the first century, brass was created with the use of zinc and other metals such as copper. In Medieval times, mining for zinc and the smelting of metallic zinc were common practices.
Anti-corrosion properties
Zinc has long been known for its anti-corrosion properties. Entities, such as NASA and marine organizations, use zinc to create anti-corrosion coatings for spacecraft and ships. NASA, in particular, created a special type of zinc-silicate coating that not only covered metal in order to block sea spray, the coating protected metal from corrosion even if the coating was scratched.
A number of metals are “galvanized” by using zinc, meaning that a variation of the mineral is sprayed, applied electromagnetically or metals are hot dipped with molten zinc. Zinc specifically attracts oxidation, making it an efficient protectant. In other words, the zinc that is used with certain metals, such as a ship’s rudder, will slowly corrode over time. The beauty of using zinc this way is that while corrosion is inevitable, the actual rudder itself will remain intact.
Zinc is an important element for biological as well as industrial purposes. Its use will continue as long as there is an abundance of it and as long as the human body requires it to function.
Various forms of zinc for industrial use can be found on the Metals.com website.
Metals.com
