Zinc is element number 30, a metal with the symbol Zn. Japan’s five-yen coin is made of copper and zinc. Our bodies contain about 2,000 mg of it too.
Atomic number 3065.38
ZnZinc亜鉛 (aen)
Symbol
Zn
Atomic weight
65.38
Place in the table
Period 4 · Group 12
Atomic weight from the Chemical Society of Japan, “Table of Standard Atomic Weights with Four Significant Figures (2026)”.
Coins and batteries
The five-yen coin is brass: out of every 1,000 parts, 600–700 are copper and 300–400 are zinc. The ten-yen coin also contains a little zinc.
In Japanese ninth-grade science, students put a zinc plate and a copper plate into solutions of their own metals, connect them, and see that a voltage appears and it works as a battery. This is called a Daniell cell.
In the body, and where the name comes from
An adult body contains about 2,000 mg (2 g) of zinc. Too little zinc can cause skin problems and make it harder to taste things.
The symbol Zn comes from the Latin zincum, from a German word meaning “jagged,” because zinc forms jagged shapes in the furnace.
Think about it
Q1Why does a Daniell cell use two different metals?
Q2Why do you think a metal plays a part in how we taste?
Q3What makes the five-yen coin and the ten-yen coin different colors?
There is no single right answer. Talking it over with someone at home is a good way to learn.
Did you know? — Nihonium, the element made in Japan, was created by firing zinc (atomic number 30) at bismuth (atomic number 83). 30 + 83 = 113, the atomic number of nihonium.