Zirconium - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Zircon, ZrSiO 4, the principal ore, is pure ZrO 2 in crystalline form having a hafnium content of about 1%. Zirconium also occurs in some 30 other recognized mineral species. Zirconium is produced commercially by reduction of chloride with magnesium (the Kroll Process), and by other methods. It is a grayish-white lustrous metal.