17 January: Zinc

Today is Zinc Day in the  French Revolutionary Calendar. Here's all you need to know about zinc.

Zinc coins

1. Zinc is a chemical element with symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Its melting point is 692.68 K(419.53 °C, 787.15 °F) and its boiling point is 1180 K (907 °C, 1665 °F).
2. Zinc was probably given its name by alchemist Paracelsus, from the German word Zinke meaning "tooth-like, pointed or jagged", because zinc crystals look a bit like Needles.
3. A number of metal alloys can be made from zinc, but the most common is brass, an alloy with Copper, which has been made since the third millennium BC. Production of brass pre-dates production of pure zinc by centuries.
4. Alchemists used to burn zinc in air to produce a white powder which they called "philosopher's wool" or "white snow". In ancient times zinc was used as a cure for sore eyes - the oldest known pills, found on a Roman shipwreck and dating back to 140BC, were made from zinc carbonate. You may have experienced having calamine lotion put on itchy spots or sunburn - Calamine is a historic name for an ore of zinc. Zinc was once widely used to treat skin conditions, even skin cancer, although it's not used to treat skin cancer today.
5. Zinc was known to the Ancient Romans and Greeks, but wasn't produced on a large scale until the 12th century in India. Rajasthan has zinc mines dating back to the 6th century BC. The oldest evidence of pure zinc also comes from Rajasthan, as early as the 9th century AD.
6. German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf is credited with discovering pure metallic zinc in 1746. He did it by heating a mixture of calamine and charcoal in a closed vessel without copper.
7. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in Earth's crust. There are around 1.9–2.8 billion tonnes of zinc deposits in the world. The largest deposits are in Iran, but there are large deposits in Australia, Canada and the United States as well. The biggest producer, however, is China, which produced 38% of the global zinc output in 2014. About 70% of the world's zinc comes from mining, while the remaining 30% comes from recycling.
8. Its industrial uses include galvanization (coating of Iron or steel) and as an anti corrosion agent, because it is reactive enough to attract most of the oxidation thus protecting other metals. It is used as a Fire retardant and wood preservative, and zinc powder is sometimes used as an ingredient for rocket fuel. Chelated zinc is used in Toothpastes and mouthwashes to prevent bad breath; Zinc pyrithione is an ingredient of anti-dandruff shampoos. Zinc chloride is used in deodorants. Zinc sulfide is an ingredient of luminescent paints. Zinc is the fourth most common metal in use after iron, aluminium, and copper.
9. Zinc is an essential part of the human diet. It plays a role in the central nervous system and in the metabolism of RNA and DNA. It is found in nearly 100 different enzymes. Deficiency can cause a number of symptoms including growth retardation in children, diarrhoea, alopecia, eye and skin lesions, impaired appetite, and altered cognition. The current dietary requirement recommendation for women and men aged 14 and over is 6.8 and 9.4 mg/day, respectively. The source of zinc in the diet is mostly animal based foods - meat, fish and dairy, but it is also present in Wheat, seeds, nuts and beans.
10. However, too much zinc isn't good for you either. Consumption of excess zinc can cause ataxia, lethargy and copper deficiency. And don't give it to your parrot. It's highly toxic to them. Even drinking fruit juice from a galvanised can could kill a parrot.

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Secrets and Skies

Jack Ward, President of Innovia, owes his life twice over to the enigmatic superhero, dubbed Power Blaster by the press. No-one knows who Power Blaster is or where he comes from - and he wants it to stay that way.

Scientist Desi Troyes has developed a nuclear bomb to counter the ever present threat of an asteroid hitting the planet. When Ward signs the order giving the go ahead for a nuclear test on the remote Bird Island, he has no inkling of Troyes' real agenda, and that he has signed the death warrants of millions of people.

Although the island should have been evacuated, there are people still there: some from the distant continent of Classica; protesters opposed to the bomb test; and Innovians who will not, or cannot, use their communication devices.

Power Blaster knows he must stop the bomb from hitting the island. He also knows it may be the last thing he ever does.

Meanwhile in Innovia, Ward and his staff gather to watch the broadcast of the test. Nobody, not even Troyes himself, has any idea what is about to happen.

Part One of The Raiders Trilogy.

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