History of Zinc

Zinc is a metallic chemical element. It is naturally found everywhere in the environment. Chemically, it is represented by the symbol Zn. Zinc derived its name, supposedly, from the German word Zinke, which means 'tooth-lik' or 'pointed'. Zinc must have got such a name owing to its crystal form which is needle-like in structure. It is believed that Paracelsus, a noted German alchemist of the Medieval period, gave zinc its name. In his book named, Liber Mineralium II, he has mentioned the metal as 'zincum' or 'zinken'. The metal is referred to by various other names like Indian tin, calamine, spinter etc.

Zinc has been used in its impure form since ancient times. Various evidences have been found which point out to the fact that zinc was in use during the prehistoric times as well. Evidences of its use in statues and ornaments date back some 2500 years.

Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper. The Romans had knowledge of the method to manufacture brass since around 30 B.C. Brass was, then, made by heating a mixture of powdered calamine, charcoal and copper in a melting pot. The resultant substance was calamine brass, which was then cast into the required shape. They used calamine brass for various purposes like making weapons, coins etc.

India is believed to be the place where zinc was first recognized as a metal, as far back as in the year 1374. Here, during the 13th century, impure zinc was extracted from its ores, by reducing calamine with different organic substances like wool. Zinc mines and smelters found in Zawar, Udaipur in India, provide evidence to prove that they knew the technique to produce metallic zinc and zinc oxide on a large scale, during the period between 12th to 16th centuries. The first reference of the use of zinc for medicinal purposes is found in an ancient ayurveda text of India, called Charaka Samhita. People of Europe came to know about the existence of the metal much later, around the end of the 16th century. The first zinc smelter developed in Europe was in 1743, at Bristol, in the UK. The Chinese learnt about the manufacturing process in the 17th century.

The biggest zinc mine in the world is the Red Dog mine, located in Alaska. The pure, metallic form of zinc was discovered in 1746. During the 17th and 18th centuries Europe was importing zinc from the Orient. At that time, zinc was a highly expensive metal. The credit for isolating zinc from its ores, goes to German chemist Andreas S. Marggraf. In 1746, he conducted an experiment, wherein he extracted zinc by heating calamine and carbon. The electrochemical properties of zinc were established through the work of Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta in 1800.

The properties of zinc makes it a unique metal. In modern times, it has several applications. Zinc is used to remove impurities from water. The surface of steel is often coated with zinc to prevent corrosion. It is a key constituent of a useful alloy like brass. It is also used in batteries. Thus, zinc is one of the most valuable gifts of nature.