About the Hafnium Zone

Hafnium

A bar of crystal hafnium | Image by Alchemist-hp

Hafnium, pronounced [Haf-nee-um], is a transition metal and the 72nd element in the periodic table. It is named after the Latin name for the place it was first discovered, Copenhagen.

Atoms of hafnium are very good at absorbing neutrons into their nuclei and this makes hafnium perfect for shielding the fuel rods of nuclear reactors. It is often combined with other metals to make useful alloys, one of which was used to make the rocket thruster of the Apollo Lunar Modules.

This is a general science zone, where we will meet five scientists from different areas of science.

There is a scientist who looks at what happens to the brain after different medical treatments, another one who uses lasers to understand the structure of metals, and another one who uses computers to design new drugs to combat cancer. There is also a scientist who looks at neutrinos , one of the smallest particles of matter, and another who is using X-Rays to study fragile molecules in a more empty vacuum than space.