Why is zinc never found native?
357610
It is going to react with oxygen, water or acids to form ores like all metals above hydrogen in the reactivity series
888372
I don't really understand your question.  However, the higher up a metal is on the reactivity series the more reactive it is.  That means it likes making compounds with other things.  The less reactive a metal is the more likely you are to find it as an element in an uncombined form.\n\nThe earliest metals to be discovered were generally those that were uncombined in the ground or very easy to separate from the compounds they were found in.  So the least reactive metals were first to be discovered and used.\n\nThe most reactive metals were not discovered for thousands more years because they are only found in compounds, never as the metals themselves and are very difficult to extract from their ores.  Electrolysis has to be used to separate the reactive metals, so they were not discovered until electricity was in use.
1029864
it's ridiculous. Zinc should always be cheap! it's ZInc! come on
525393
You can not have some other mineral that is black. Chlorophyll is a chelated metal compound. Such compounds derive their colour from the emission spectrum of the d shell electrons. \n\nEmmission spectra are quantised because electrons are quantised. There are only a finite number of transitions available, and each transition emits at a specific frequency. When the incident light is visible the d electrons can only emit in  one very specific part of the spectrum. That means that the colour of a pigment molecule like chlorophyll or haemoglobin can only have one very specific colour.\n\nIn order for a plant to be black it would need to emit (and hence absorb) across the entire spectrum. That is not possible with a single transition metal compound.\n\nIt is possible with 4 or more different compounds, but that would require the plant to waste resources building compounds that absorb less common, and hence less energetically favourable, wavelengths. Such a situation could never evolve because any such plant would be outcompeted by green plants.
711060
Because Mankind has found new ways to combine elements and chemicals into new compounds that have never been present in nature, and would otherwise never form naturally.  Same thing with certain "processes."  What would take nature millions of years to wear down and erode, for example, Man can accomplish in seconds with explosives.
311514
Here is an interesting fact.  The interior of our bones are lined with copper atoms.\nResearch it, its true.
218548
Wow! You got a lot of interesting "answers".  A research study done a couple of decades ago, found that white patches on the nails correlated with Zinc deficiency.  \n\nGood luck!
1108902
I take zinc products at the first sign of a cold...cold-eeze or the Target version.Also echinacea herbal tea (some people say goldenseal helps them too)  Also lots and lots of Vitamin C!
577812
Because all the iron is not present as a single species. Different ions are present which deposit at different levels.
790888
It lacks the crystalline electron structure that elements like magnesium and iron have. Thus, it cannot align into electrical dipoles, and is not magnetic.
881903
These elements are too reactive to be found free in nature. Sodium occurs mainly as NaCI (salt) in sea-water and dried-up sea beds. Potassium is more widely distributed in minerals such as sylvite, KCI, but is also extracted from sea-water. The alkali metals are so reactive they cannot be displaced by another element, so are isolated by electrolysis of their molten salts.\n\nEarth Crust Occurrence\n\nLithium 65 ppm\nSodium 2.6%\nPotassium 2.4%\nRubidium 90 ppm\nCesium 7 ppm\nFrancium Artificial\n\nSea Water Occurrance\n\nLithium 0.178 ppm\nSodium 10800 ppm\nPotassium 399 ppm\nRubidium 0.124 ppm\nCesium 2.9x10^-4 ppm\nFrancium Artificial
748872
Cu2+ (aq)  +  Zn (s) -->  Cu (s) + Zn2+ (aq)
758041
brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, unless we have its composition, we cant tell its specific heat.
623319
Copper is a tricky one, as there appears to be true demand from China and not that many new ways of digging up significantly more ore.  It might be that people who rely on copper decide to find ways to get around using copper.  Maybe aluminum cable instead?\n\nIn the case of zinc, there is a special price level maybe 10% or so above where it is now, where it is worth melting US pennies (which are 97.5% zinc).  At this price the zinc and copper in pennies becomes worth more than one cent per penny, plus the energy needed to melt it down.  There will then be a huge amount of illegal melting of pennies and demand will be satisfied for awhile.\n\nIn summary I think copper might be higher, but there is a lot of uncertainty due to the various things that could happen, such as a decrease in copper demand.  And zinc price could be limited by penny melting.  I wouldn't invest much in this area personally.
169049
In a way, yes. \n\nZinc, as a metal, is actually one of the components of a dry cell/battery, along with lead (and, well...batteries are global sources of energy...in one sense). This supports the fact itself that all metals are potential energy providers...^_^\n\nZinc, as a mineral, is also taken by the body as, again, one of the components on milk and vitamins (you noticed commercials saying milk and vitamins contain Zinc? ^_^). These minerals do help in providing the body with optimum energy. The bodies of the people contributing to the "globalness" of our planet made Zinc a contributing factor in global energy... ^_^\n\nSo, either a mineral or a metal, Zinc has a contribution to global energy. Thank you. ^_^
874297
+2.\n\n(The element is never found as a free element but does occur in the minerals columbite ((Fe,Mn)(Nb,Ta)2O6), columbite-tantalite or coltan ((Fe,Mn)(Ta,Nb)2O6), pyrochlore ((Na,Ca)2Nb2O6OH,F), and euxenite ((Y,Ca,Ce,U,Th)(Nb,Ta,Ti)2O6). )2 in subscript.
223643
because not all of it has turned into lead yet. a half life extends forever. the part that has not decayed is still uranium.