WebElements Periodic Table of the Elements | Hafnium

Hafnium: the essentials

Most zirconium minerals contain 1 to 3% hafnium. Hafnium is a ductile metal with a brilliant silver lustre. Its properties are influenced considerably by the impurities of zirconium present. Of all the elements, zirconium and hafnium are two of the most difficult to separate. Hafnium is a Group 4 transition element.

Because hafnium has a good absorption cross section for thermal neutrons (almost 600 times that of zirconium), has excellent mechanical properties, and is extremely corrosion resistant, it is used for nuclear reactor control rods.

Hafnium carbide is the most refractory binary composition known, and the nitride is the most refractory metal nitride (m.p. 3310°C).

Table: basic information about and classifications of hafnium.
Name: Hafnium Symbol: Hf Atomic number: 72 Atomic weight: 178.49 (2) Standard state: solid at 298 K CAS Registry ID: 7440-58-6	Group in periodic table: 4 Group name: (none) Period in periodic table: 6 Block in periodic table: d-block Colour: grey steel Classification: Metallic

hafnium sheet
Small and large samples of hafnium foil like this, as well as sheet and wire, can be purchased via their web catalogue from Advent Research Materials via their web catalogue.

Hafnium: historical information

Hafnium was discovered by Dirk Coster and George Charles von Hevesy at 1923 in Denmark. Origin of name: from the Latin name "Hafnia" meaning "Copenhagen".

Hafnium was thought to be present in various zirconium minerals many years prior to its discovery, in 1923, which was credited to Dirk Coster and George Charles von Hevesey. It was finally identified in zircon (a zirconium ore) from Norway, by means of X-ray spectroscopic analysis. It was named in honour of the city in which the discovery was made. A number of earlier claims seem less likely.

Most zirconium minerals contain 1 to 3% hafnium and it is their chemical similarity which made their separation difficult. It was originally separated from zirconium by repeated and tedious recrystallization of the double ammonium or potassium fluorides.

Hafnium: physical properties

Melting point: 2506 [or 2233 °C (4051 °F)] K
Boiling point: 4876 [or 4603 °C (8317 °F)] K
Density of solid: 13310 kg m^-3

Ground state electron configuration: [Xe].4f¹⁴.5d².6s²
Shell structure: 2.8.18.32.10.2
Term symbol: ³F₂
Pauling electronegativity: 1.3 (Pauling units)
First ionisation energy: 658.5 kJ mol^-1
Second ionisation energy: 1440 kJ mol^-1

Isolation

Isolation: hafnium extraction is always associated with its removal from zirconium as it is a contaminant of all zirconium minerals. Solvent extraction methods are used ot spearate the two metals but the process is not easy. These make use of the differential solubilities of the metal thiocyantes (thiocyanate is SCN^-) in methyl isobutyl ketone.

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Y	Zr	Nb
Lu	Hf	Ta
Lr	Rf	Db

Hafnium	Hafnium
Hafnium	Hafnium
Afnio	Hafnio
Hafnium	Háfnio

Hafnium
- Essential data: names, symbol, atomic number, and atomic weight; block, period, and group in periodic table; description; standard state; registry number; and isolation
- History: meaning of name; discovery; and history of the element
- Uses
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Hafnium around us
- Geology: Abundance of elements in the universe; the sun; meteorites; Earth's crust; oceans; and streams
- Biology: Abundance in humans; biological role; and health hazards)
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Chemistry and compounds
- Compounds: halides, oxides, sulfides, hydrides, and complexes; lattice energies; and reduction potentials
- Reactions of hafnium: reactions of hafnium with air; water; halogens; acids; and bases
- Electronegativities: Pauling; Sanderson; Allred Rochow; Mulliken-Jaffe; and Allen
- Bond enthalpies of diatomic species
- Lattice energies
Element properties
- Physics properties: Boiling point; melting point; density; molar volume; thermal conductivity; and electrical resistivity; bulk modulus; critical temperature; superconductivity temperature; hardness (mineralogical, Brinell, and Vickers); linear expansion coefficient; Poisson's ratio; reflectivity; refractive index; rigidity modulus; Young's modulus; velocity of sound
- Crystal structure
- Thermochemistry: enthalpies of atomization, fusion, and vaporization; thermodynamic properties
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Atom properties
- Electron shell properties: Electronic configuration; term symbol; electron affinity; ionization energies; and atomic spectra
- Atom sizes: atomic radius; Shannon and Pauling ionic radii; covalent radius; metallic radius; element bond length; and Van der Waals radius
- Atomic orbital properties: effective nuclear charge; electron binding energies; and valence orbital radii maxima
Nuclear properties
- Isotopes: isotope abundances; radioactive isotopes; isotope masses; nuclear spins; and nuclear magnetic moment
- NMR properties: frequencies; isotopes; magnetogyric ratios; quadrupole moments; receptivities; and relative sensitivities
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1	2															3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

1 H																															2 He
3 Li	4 Be																									5 B	6 C	7 N	8 O	9 F	10 Ne
11 Na	12 Mg																									13 Al	14 Si	15 P	16 S	17 Cl	18 Ar
19 K	20 Ca															21 Sc	22 Ti	23 V	24 Cr	25 Mn	26 Fe	27 Co	28 Ni	29 Cu	30 Zn	31 Ga	32 Ge	33 As	34 Se	35 Br	36 Kr
37 Rb	38 Sr															39 Y	40 Zr	41 Nb	42 Mo	43 Tc	44 Ru	45 Rh	46 Pd	47 Ag	48 Cd	49 In	50 Sn	51 Sb	52 Te	53 I	54 Xe
55 Cs	56 Ba	57 La	58 Ce	59 Pr	60 Nd	61 Pm	62 Sm	63 Eu	64 Gd	65 Tb	66 Dy	67 Ho	68 Er	69 Tm	70 Yb	71 Lu	72 Hf	73 Ta	74 W	75 Re	76 Os	77 Ir	78 Pt	79 Au	80 Hg	81 Tl	82 Pb	83 Bi	84 Po	85 At	86 Rn
87 Fr	88 Ra	89 Ac	90 Th	91 Pa	92 U	93 Np	94 Pu	95 Am	96 Cm	97 Bk	98 Cf	99 Es	100 Fm	101 Md	102 No	103 Lr	104 Rf	105 Db	106 Sg	107 Bh	108 Hs	109 Mt	110 Ds	111 Rg	112 Cn	113 Uut	114 Fl	115 Uup	116 Lv	117 Uus	118 Uuo

Hafnium

Hafnium: the essentials

Hafnium: historical information

Hafnium: physical properties

Hafnium: orbital properties

Isolation

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