About Zirconium
Zirconium
Zirconium will withstand a range of caustics and acids to a greater degree than any other commonly used metal.
It is immune to sterilising solutions, most of the organic chemicals, dyestuffs and a wide variety of inorganic chemicals.
Key Benefits & Advantages
• Exceptional Corrosion Resistance: Withstands a wide range of caustics, acids, organics,
and molten salts. Completely resistant to almost all solvents except hydrofluoric acid (HF).
• Cost-Effective Alternative: Lasts 20 times longer than nickel crucibles. Outperforms platinum without requiring regular smoothing or reshaping. The investment of a zirconium crucible is
recovered many times over.
• High Purity: Virtually eliminates sample contamination, introducing only a few milligrams of trace zirconium (which can be removed with strong acids like HCl or H2SO4).
• Passive Protection: Heating forms a creamy white passive oxide film that acts as a stable
corrosion barrier in both reducing and oxidizing conditions.
Temperature & Operating Guidelines
• Normal Operating Range: -196°C to +550°C.
• Atmosphere Limits: * In Air: 450°C to 500°C (prolonged exposure above 750°C degrades
the metal).
• Under Vacuum, argon or helium zirconium crucibles can be heated to 1450°C.
• Thermal Shock Prevention: Use slow heating and cooling ramp rates. When increasing the temperature, special attention should be paid on two sensitive temperature periods: not exceeding 3°C/MIN during 100°C ~300°C and 1050°C ~1200°C. The rate can be faster in other temperature ranges, but it is recommended to be less than 5°C /MIN.
Do not remove crucibles from a hot furnace; allow them to cool below 100°C before removal to prevent cracking.
Core Applications & Fusion Methods
Zirconium crucibles are ideal for fusions in analytical chemistry to prepare samples for analysis:
• Sodium Peroxide Fusions: Used for refractory or high-silica materials (e.g., chromite,
silicon carbide, steels). Note: For high-chrome materials, add hydrogen peroxide to the acid
solvent to easily dissolve the resulting yellow chromate film.
• Sodium Carbonate Fusions: Decomposes most silicates (aluminum, calcium, iron) and certain halides/sulfates.
• Lithium Salt Fusions: Used when sodium or potassium presence would interfere
with X-ray fluorescence or atomic absorption metrics.
Fusion Pro-Tip: Mix the sample with 4 to 10 times its weight in flux. Once molten and clear/bright red, let it solidify. Dissolve the fused mass by immersing the crucible in water and an appropriate solvent.
Compatible Fluxes
Zirconium is highly resistant to melts of the following fluxes (which can be combined to lower
melting points, speed up fusions, and extend crucible life):
• Peroxides & Hydroxides: Na2O2, NaOH, KOH, LiOH
• Carbonates: Na2CO3, K2CO3, Li2CO3, CaCO3
• Nitrates & Oxides: KNO3, NaNO3, MgO, ZnO
• Borates & Fluorides: Lithium metaborate, Sodium borate (Borax), LiF
• Neutrals: NaCl, NH4Cl (sintering flux)
Warning: Never use Hydrofluoric acid (HF) to clean zirconium crucibles.