Abstract In 1789, Prussian analytical chemist Martin Heinrich Klaproth discovered that Jargon contained a new type of earth and named it zirconia. The hypothesis of zirconium element was formally formed. Subsequently, the determination of the atomic weight of zirconium and the determination of the position of zirconium in the element table promoted the development of the zirconium hypothesis. In 1914, D. Lely, Jr and L. Hamburger obtained the metal zirconium with higher purity, the zirconium hypothesis was confirmed and the concept of zirconium element was formally formed. From 1924 till 2020, the discovery of zirconium isotopes led to the formation of the modern concept of zirconium element, which led to a new understanding of the zirconium element. The formation and development of the concept of zirconium is not only the discovery history of elements, but also the evolution history of chemical ideas and methods.
LI Yang-Yang, YUAN Zhen-Dong. The Formation and Development of the Concept of Zirconium[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2022, 43(10): 124-129.
