The major use of zinc is to galvanise steel in order to stop it corroding. This is because zinc oxidises more readily than iron, meaning it loses electrons more easily; chemists describe zinc as acting as the sacrificial anode, as oxidation occurs at the anode.
The transition metal was well-known to the ancients who alloyed zinc and copper to make brass.
Zinc is also well-known as a UV protector and turns up in sunblock (think cricketers' noses) as well as paint.
You can also find zinc in car tyres, added to foods such as cereals and in anti-dandruff shampoo, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 95 of Elemental.
Photo: RNZ
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Professor Allan Blackman is at Auckland University of Technology.
