Zinc (Zn)
Element 30 · Transition metal · Solid at 25 °C · Group 12, Period 4
Zinc's biggest job is galvanizing — a sacrificial coating that keeps steel from rusting. Alloyed with copper it makes brass, and it is an essential trace nutrient.
On the periodic table, zinc sits in group 12 in period 4. It is one of 38 elements classified as a transition metal, and at room temperature (25 °C) it is a solid.
Transition metals occupy the wide d-block in the middle of the table. As a family they are hard, dense, high-melting metals that conduct heat and electricity well. Their partly filled d-orbitals let many of them take several oxidation states, form vividly colored compounds, and act as catalysts — which is why so much of industry, and so much of biology, runs on this block.
Properties of zinc
| Atomic number (Z) | 30 |
|---|---|
| Symbol | Zn |
| Atomic mass | 65.38 |
| Category | Transition metal |
| Group | 12 |
| Period | 4 |
| Block | d-block |
| Metal / nonmetal | Metal |
| State at 25 °C | Solid |
| Electron configuration | [Ar] 3d10 4s2 |
| Electronegativity (Pauling) | 1.65 |
| Melting point | 419.53 °C (692.68 K / 787.15 °F) |
| Boiling point | 907 °C (1,180.15 K / 1,664.6 °F) |
| Density | 7.14 g/cm³ |
Position in the periodic table
Zinc shares group 12 with Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), Copernicium (Cn). Elements in the same group have the same number of outer electrons, so they tend to behave alike chemically — comparing them is one of the fastest ways to see periodic trends in action.
Physical properties
Zinc melts at 419.53 °C (692.68 K / 787.15 °F) and boils at 907 °C (1,180.15 K / 1,664.6 °F), giving it a liquid range of about 487.5 °C at standard pressure.
Its density is 7.14 g/cm³.
See also: the interactive periodic table, how to read the periodic table, periodic trends.