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Hafnium,  72Hf
Hf-crystal bar.jpg
Hafnium
Pronunciation/ˈhæfniəm/ (HAF-nee-əm)
Appearancesteel gray
Standard atomic weight Ar, std(Hf)178.49(2)
Hafnium in the periodic table
Hydrogen
Helium
Lithium Beryllium
Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon
Sodium Magnesium
Aluminium Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon
Potassium Calcium Scandium
Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton
Rubidium Strontium Yttrium

Zirconium Niobium Molybdenum Technetium Ruthenium Rhodium Palladium Silver Cadmium Indium Tin Antimony Tellurium Iodine Xenon
Caesium Barium Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury (element) Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon
Francium Radium Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson
Zr

Hf

Rf
lutetiumhafniumtantalum
Atomic number (Z)72
Groupgroup 4
Periodperiod 6
Blockd-block
Element category  transition metal
Electron configuration[Xe] 4f14 5d2 6s2
Electrons per shell
2, 8, 18, 32, 10, 2
Physical properties
Phase at STPsolid
Melting point2506 K ​(2233 °C, ​4051 °F)
Boiling point4876 K ​(4603 °C, ​8317 °F)
Density (near r.t.)13.31 g/cm3
when liquid (at m.p.)12 g/cm3
Heat of fusion27.2 kJ/mol
Heat of vaporization648 kJ/mol
Molar heat capacity25.73 J/(mol·K)
Vapor pressure
P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k
at T (K) 2689 2954 3277 3679 4194 4876
Atomic properties
Oxidation states−2, +1, +2, +3, +4 (an amphoteric oxide)
ElectronegativityPauling scale: 1.3
Ionization energies
  • 1st: 658.5 kJ/mol
  • 2nd: 1440 kJ/mol
  • 3rd: 2250 kJ/mol

Atomic radiusempirical: 159 pm
Covalent radius175±10 pm
Color lines in a spectral range
Spectral lines of hafnium
Other properties
Natural occurrenceprimordial
Crystal structurehexagonal close-packed (hcp)
Hexagonal close packed crystal structure for hafnium
Speed of sound thin rod3010 m/s (at 20 °C)
Thermal expansion5.9 µm/(m·K) (at 25 °C)
Thermal conductivity23.0 W/(m·K)
Electrical resistivity331 nΩ·m (at 20 °C)
Magnetic orderingparamagnetic
Magnetic susceptibility+75.0·10−6 cm3/mol (at 298 K)
Young's modulus78 GPa
Shear modulus30 GPa
Bulk modulus110 GPa
Poisson ratio0.37
Mohs hardness5.5
Vickers hardness1520–2060 MPa
Brinell hardness1450–2100 MPa
CAS Number7440-58-6
History
Namingafter Hafnia. Latin for: Copenhagen, where it was discovered
PredictionDmitri Mendeleev (1869)
Discovery and first isolationDirk Coster and George de Hevesy (1922)
Main isotopes of hafnium
Iso­tope Abun­dance Half-life (t1/2) Decay mode Pro­duct
172Hf syn 1.87 y ε 172Lu
174Hf 0.16% 2×1015 y α 170Yb
176Hf 5.26% stable
177Hf 18.60% stable
178Hf 27.28% stable
178m2Hf syn 31 y IT 178Hf
179Hf 13.62% stable
180Hf 35.08% stable
182Hf syn 8.9×106 y β 182Ta

Hafnium is a chemical element with symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirconium minerals. Its existence was predicted by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, though it was not identified until 1923, by Coster and Hevesy, making it the last stable element to be discovered. Hafnium is named after Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen, where it was discovered.

Hafnium is used in filaments and electrodes. Some semiconductor fabrication processes use its oxide for integrated circuits at 45 nm and smaller feature lengths. Some superalloys used for special applications contain hafnium in combination with niobium, titanium, or tungsten.

Hafnium's large neutron capture cross-section makes it a good material for neutron absorption in control rods in nuclear power plants, but at the same time requires that it be removed from the neutron-transparent corrosion-resistant zirconium alloys used in nuclear reactors.

Characteristics