Hafnium Chemical Properties (25 Facts You Should Know)

Hafnium is a tetravalent transition element. It is silvery-gray in colour. Let us discuss chemical properties of Hafnium below.

Hafnium has hexagonal close-packed structure. Hafnium is an amphoteric oxide. It is ductile. It resists corrosion.

Let us discuss the atomic number, atomic weight, ionization energy etc. of Hf below.

Hafnium symbol

The symbol of Hafnium is Hf.

hafnium chemical properties
Hafnium Notation

Hafnium group in periodic table

Hafnium belongs to group 4 (Titanium family) of the periodic table.

Hafnium period in periodic table

Hafnium belongs to period 6 of the periodic table.

Hafnium block in periodic table

Hafnium exists in the d-block of the periodic table.

Hafnium atomic number

The atomic number of Hafnium is 72.

Hafnium atomic weight

The atomic weight of the Hafnium is 178.486.

Hafnium Electronegativity according to Pauling

The electronegativity of Hafnium is 1.3 on the Pauling scale.

Hafnium Atomic Density

The atomic density of hafnium is 13.31 g/cm3

Hafnium melting point

The melting point of Hafnium is 2233 oC or 2506 K.

Hafnium boiling point

The boiling point of Hafnium is 4600 oC or 4873 K.

Hafnium Van der waals radius

The Van der waals radius of Hafnium is 225 pm.

Hafnium ionic radius

The ionic radius of Hafnium(4+) is 78 pm

Hafnium isotopes

Isotopes can be stable and unstable. Let us explore the isotopes of Hf.

IsotopeAbundanceHalf-life
174Hf0.16%2*1015 years
176Hf5.26%stable
177Hf18.60%stable
178Hf27.28%Stable
179Hf13.62%stable
180Hf35.08%stable
Isotopes of Hafnium

Hafnium electronic shell

The total number of electronic shells in an element are equal to the period number. Let us discuss the electronic shells in Hf.

The total number of electronic shells in Hafnium is 6.

Hafnium energy of first ionization

The first ionization energy of Hafnium is 658.5 kJ/mol.

Hafnium energy of second ionization

The second ionization energy of Hafnium is 1440 kJ/mol.

Hafnium energy of third ionization

The third ionization energy of Hafnium is 2250 kJ/mol.

Hafnium oxidation states

The oxidation states of Hafnium are -2, 0, +1, +2, +3, +4.

Hafnium electronic configurations

The Electronic configuration of Hafnium is [Xe] 4f14 5d2 6s2.

Hafnium CAS number

The CAS number of Hafnium is 7440-58-6.

Hafnium ChemSpider ID

The ChemSpider ID of Hafnium is 22422.

Hafnium allotropic forms

Hafnium exists in two allotropic forms. Let us discuss the allotropic forms of Hafnium below.

Hafnium exists in two allotropic forms –

  • α-hafnium with symbol αHf
  • β-hafnium with symbol βHf.

Hafnium chemical classification

Hf is a transition element because it contains an incompletely filled penultimate d orbital.

Hafnium state at room temperature

Hafnium exists in solid state at room temperature.

Is Hafnium paramagnetic?

Paramagnetic substances are weakly attracted in a magnetic field. Let us find out if Hf is magnetic or not.

Hafnium is paramagnetic due to the presence of unpaired electrons

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, Hafnium is paramagnetic. It is ductile. It is resistant to corrosion. It exists in two allotropic forms – αHf and βHf. The most oxidation stable state of Hf is +4.