
Hafnium element (Hf) is in group 4 and period 6 of a periodic table. Hafnium is in the d-block and it is classified as a transition element on the periodic table.
There is a lot more information related to hafnium which is mentioned in the Information Table given below.
So let’s dive right into it!
Table of contents
- Hafnium element (Information Table)
- Hafnium element in Periodic table
- Facts about Hafnium
- Properties of Hafnium
- Uses of Hafnium
Hafnium Element (Information Table)
The important data related to hafnium element is given in the table below.
Appearance of hafnium | Gray metallic appearance |
Atomic number of hafnium | 72 |
Symbol of hafnium | Hf |
Atomic mass of hafnium | 178.49 u |
Protons, Neutrons & Electrons in hafnium | Protons: 72, Neutrons: 106, Electrons: 72 |
State of hafnium (at STP) | Solid |
Group number of hafnium in periodic table | 4 |
Period number of hafnium in periodic table | 6 |
Block of hafnium in periodic table | d-block |
Category of hafnium | Transition metal |
Bohr model or Electrons per shell or Electrons arrangement in hafnium | 2, 8, 18, 32, 10, 2 |
Electron configuration of hafnium | [Xe] 4f14 5d2 6s2 |
Orbital diagram of hafnium | ![]() |
Electronegativity of hafnium (on pauling scale) | 1.3 |
Atomic radius of hafnium (van der Waals radius) | 212 picometers |
Density of hafnium | 13.31 g/cm3 |
1st ionization energy of hafnium | 6.825 eV |
Main isotope of hafnium | 180Hf |
Melting point of hafnium | 2506 K or 2233 °C or 4051 °F |
Boiling point of hafnium | 4876 K or 4603 °C or 8317 °F |
Crystal structure of hafnium | Hexagonal Close Packing (HCP) |
Discovery of hafnium | By George de Hevesy and Dirk Coster in 1922 |
Also see: Interactive Periodic Table (It has rotating bohr models as well as many other details of all the 118 elements in a single periodic table).
Hafnium element in Periodic table
The Hafnium element (Hf) has the atomic number 72 and is located in group 4 and period 6. Hafnium is a metal and it is classified as a transition element.
H | He | ||||||||||||||||
Li | Be | B | C | N | O | F | Ne | ||||||||||
Na | Mg | Al | Si | P | S | Cl | Ar | ||||||||||
K | Ca | Sc | Ti | V | Cr | Mn | Fe | Co | Ni | Cu | Zn | Ga | Ge | As | Se | Br | Kr |
Rb | Sr | Y | Zr | Nb | Mo | Tc | Ru | Rh | Pd | Ag | Cd | In | Sn | Sb | Te | I | Xe |
Cs | Ba | La* | Hf | Ta | W | Re | Os | Ir | Pt | Au | Hg | Tl | Pb | Bi | Po | At | Rn |
Fr | Ra | Ac** | Rf | Db | Sg | Bh | Hs | Mt | Ds | Rg | Cn | Nh | Fl | Mc | Lv | Ts | Og |
*Ce | Pr | Nd | Pm | Sm | Eu | Gd | Tb | Dy | Ho | Er | Tm | Yb | Lu | ||||
**Th | Pa | U | Np | Pu | Am | Cm | Bk | Cf | Es | Fm | Md | No | Lr |
Facts about hafnium
Here are a few interesting facts about the hafnium element.
- George de Hevesy and Dirk Coster discovered the hafnium element in the year 1922.
- Hafnium was given its name from the Latin word “Hafnia”, which means “Copenhagen”. Copenhagen is a city located in Denmark.
- Hafnium metal can be extracted by refining zirconium.
- The earth’s crust contains hafnium in the concentration of 3.3 ppm by weight.
Properties of hafnium
Here is a list of some physical properties and chemical properties of hafnium.
Physical properties of hafnium
- Hafnium has a gray metallic appearance.
- Hafnium has a density of 13.31 g/cm3 and its atomic mass is 178.49 amu.
- The melting point and boiling point of hafnium is 2506 K and 4876 K respectively.
- Hafnium has HCP crystal structure.
- There are many isotopes of hafnium, but out of those isotopes the most abundant isotope is 180Hf.
Chemical properties of hafnium
- Hafnium does not react with alkalis as well as acids (Exception: hafnium is reactive to hydrofluoric acid (HF)).
- The most common oxidation state of hafnium is +4, but it shows other oxidation states too.
- Hafnium can easily react with halogens like fluorine, chlorine, bromine, etc. During this reaction, it forms tetrahalides.
- It has also been found that hafnium reacts with oxygen, carbon, boron, nitrogen, silicon and sulfur at elevated temperatures.
Uses of hafnium
Here are some uses of the hafnium element.
- Hafnium is used in control rods in nuclear reactors, because it has a property to absorb neutrons.
- Hafnium carbide can resist higher temperatures. Because of this reason, it is used in metal melting furnaces.
- Hafnium is also used as an alloying element with other metals to get the desired properties.
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