Uses of zinc. The metal has many familiar uses. Rolled into sheets, it is used as a lining for vessels which are to contain water. As a thin film upon the surface of iron (galvanized iron) it protects the iron from rust. Iron is usually galvanized by dipping it into a bath of melted zinc, but electrical methods are also employed. Zinc plates are used in many forms of electrical batteries. In the laboratory zinc is used in the preparation of hydrogen, and in the form of zinc dust as a reducing agent.
One of the largest uses of zinc is in the manufacture of alloys. Brass, an alloy of zinc and copper, is the most important of these; German silver, consisting of copper, zinc, and nickel, has many uses; various bronzes, coin metals, and bearing metals also contain zinc. Its ability to alloy with silver finds application in the separation of silver from lead (see silver).
Compounds of zinc. In general, the compounds of zinc are similar in formula and appearance to those of magnesium, but in other properties they often differ markedly. A number of them have value in commercial ways.
Zinc oxide (zinc white) (ZnO). Zinc oxide occurs in impure form in nature, being colored red by manganese and iron compounds. It can be prepared just like magnesium oxide, but is more often made by burning the metal.
Zinc oxide is a pure white powder which becomes yellow on heating and regains its white color when cold. It is much used as a white pigment in paints, under the name of zinc white, and has the advantage over white lead in that it is not changed in color by sulphur compounds, while lead turns black. It is also used in the manufacture of rubber goods.
Commercial preparation of zinc oxide. Commercially it is often made from franklinite in the following way. The franklinite is mixed with coal and heated to a high temperature in a furnace, by which process the zinc is set free and converted into vapor. As the vapor leaves the furnace through a conduit it meets a current of air and takes fire in it, forming zinc oxide. The oxide passes on and is filtered from the air through canvas bags, which allow the air to pass but retain the oxide. It is thus made by burning the metal, though the metal is not actually isolated in the process.
Soluble salts. The soluble salts of zinc can be made by dissolving the metal or the oxide in the appropriate acid. They are all somewhat poisonous. The sulphate and chloride are the most familiar.
Zinc sulphate (white vitriol) (ZnSO4·7H2O). This salt is readily crystallized from strong solutions in transparent colorless crystals. It is prepared commercially by careful roasting of the sulphide:
ZnS + 4O = ZnSO4.