Zinc is a transition metal element denoted by the atomic symbol, Zn. It has an atomic weight of 65.39 and an atomic number of 30. In its pure form zinc is bluish-white and exhibits a lustrous sheen. It is brittle at room temperature, but becomes malleable when heated beyond 212°F (100°C). It has a melting point of 787.15°F (419.53°C) and a boiling point of 1664.6°F (907°C).

The first use of zinc was in brass, an alloy of copper and zinc. Brass dates to the first millennium b.c. in Asia Minor (Turkey). It was used in coins and ornaments. It is thought that the Chinese produced the first purified zinc around 1000a.d.. Zinc was also produced in India in the 1200s by reduction from calamine, a zinc carbonate, using organic matter such as wool.

The Swiss alchemist Paracelsus (Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombast von...