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Whose work discovered hafnium?

ChemistryPeriodic Table

Quick Answer

Dirk Coster and George de Hevesy discovered hafnium in 1923. They identified it in zirconium ores using X-ray analysis.

The Full Story

Dirk Coster and George de Hevesy discovered hafnium in 1923 in Copenhagen. Using X-ray spectroscopy, they identified an element that had been overlooked because it resembles zirconium chemically. Hafnium was named after Hafnia, the Latin name for Copenhagen. Its discovery confirmed that the periodic table still held gaps in the early 20th century and showed the power of X-ray methods in chemistry.

Key Facts

1.discovered in 1923
2.found by X-ray spectroscopy
3.named after Copenhagen

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"The element that was hiding in plain sight"