Zinc

Zinc is a bluish-white metal that is brittle at room temperature but becomes easier to shape when moderately heated. Its main use is galvanizing: coating iron or steel to protect it from rust. Zinc corrodes more readily than iron, so it can keep protecting the metal beneath even if the coating is scratched. Mixed with copper, zinc forms brass, an alloy used in musical instruments and water valves. In nature, zinc occurs mainly in minerals such as sphalerite, which contains zinc sulfide, often alongside lead and copper ores. To obtain the metal, producers concentrate the ore and usually heat it in air to form zinc oxide. This is dissolved in acid, and an electric current then recovers zinc from the purified solution.