Zirconium (metal): medicinal properties and application

Zirconium is a gray-steel metal with a yellowish tinge. It is obtained by remelting zirconium waste, and also ore concentrate.

Zirconium: prices, GOST, description

Designation - GOST 21907-76. It is ductile and malleable (almost like gold) corrosion-resistant, paramagnetic, heat-resistant metal. Zirconium is resistant to the action of sea and chlorinated water, ammonia, alkalis, acids, its qualities do not lose its quality in low and high temperatures. It is mainly used in an alloy with other metals. This not only gives it unique properties, but also improves manufacturability. Cost - from 5500 rubles per kilogram, depending on the brand and the manufacturer.

At the moment, zirconium refers to gems. In the Middle Ages, he was called the brother of a diamond, but the hardness inherent in diamonds is absent in diamonds.

Geology

Zirconium is a metal that is literally dispersed in ore deposits in various parts of the world. It occurs in the form of salts, amorphous oxides and single crystals, as in the USA (in North Carolina). Periodically, crystals are found in Nigeria's fields weighing a kilogram. The richest deposits are found in Australia, South Africa, India and North America.

Zirconium (metal) is often found in ore together with hafnium, which is the closest to it in properties. In Russia, its natural reserves are estimated at 10% of the world's total. This metal in 1799 was first isolated in the form of dioxide Klaproth (German chemist) from the mineral zircon. It is melted out of enriched ore concentrate, in which the content of zirconia is 60-65%.

Zirconium (metal): application

Alloys of the substance in question are used in various spheres of industry: aircraft and rocket construction, nuclear power engineering, foundry, instrumentation, and military production.

Due to increased resistance to the effects of different media, he found application in medical prosthetics, the creation of surgical instruments. In this area, zirconium was able to outrun titanium, since its stability is eternal.

Jewelcrafting

Zirconium (metal) in jewelry has been used for a long time. Anodized material is able to acquire any shade, thus providing ample opportunities for the implementation of bold artistic ideas. If you want something unusual and original, you need to pay attention to various ornaments from zirconium. Such products are elegant and interesting by their completeness. Because of this, they are very highly valued in the world market.

Healing properties

It should be noted that its direct biological effect on the human body is not detected, although in certain spheres zirconium is very important. The metal, the medicinal properties of which are described in this article, began to be used in medicine because of special chemical and physical properties:

• Is used for the manufacture of tools, since it is completely neutral to the effects of acids, alkalis, ammonia, water;
• Stimulates the rapid healing of wounds, while preventing the formation of pus and the penetration of infections, because it has an antimicrobial effect;
• Is considered an excellent antiseptic;
• Facilitates allergic reactions, while itself is not an allergen;
• Radiation does not pass through.

The plasticity of this metal makes it possible to preserve the structure of the bones with the most complex fractures; they also grow together faster. Zirconium (metal) was also used to make filaments for seams.

Products with it can have curative effects in hypertension, skin ailments, arthritis and arthrosis, although official medicine has not yet confirmed this.

Zirconium is actively used in orthopedic prosthetics and dentistry. Most metal alloys cause side effects and allergies in the oral cavity. Zirconium is absolutely resistant to corrosion, and is also neutral to various media. He himself does not have an irritating effect on the tissues of the body.

Daily rate

It should be noted that the daily norm of this macronutrient is not precisely defined, since our body can do without it. Every day with food, we receive about 0.05 mg of this metal, but it is passive in order to enter into chemical reactions. The substance itself is not synthesized, although it can accumulate in the organs.

Excess zirconium in the body

Physicians still do not have data on the lethal dose of this element for the human body, although its overdose can cause negative consequences. Excess is caused by working in the relevant industries, using personal hygiene products or living near sources that pollute the environment.

It should be noted that the symptoms of overdose are the following symptoms: pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonia and skin irritation. Zirconium is a metal that can accumulate in organs, while settling on tissues. It is unrealistic to get such a large dose from products.

Deficiency in the body

The lack of a macronutrient such as zirconium (metal), whose properties are described in detail in this article, will not lead to any undesirable consequences, since it is not present in the composition of cells. At the same time, research is being carried out so far, and the metal can still reveal many of its qualities for us.

Sources

Zirconium is a metal that is contained in food in minimal quantities, so it can not cause any negative consequences. Below is a list of products with which we can get this element:

• mutton;
• Oatmeal, rice, wheat;
• Nutmeg, pistachios;
• vegetable oils;
• Beans;
• Hot red pepper.

When should I use it?

Indications for use for the treatment of zirconium have not yet been established, although it is indispensable as an excellent material for medical instruments and implants.

This metal is used in chemical engineering as a corrosion resistant material. Its additives deoxidize steel, and also remove sulfur and nitrogen from it. Powdered zirconium is used in the production of ammunition and in pyrotechnics. Zirconium sulphate is a tanning agent that is actively used in the leather industry.