There are many transition metals, with many different uses. One of these metals is zinc. Zinc is useful in a number of different ways. Medical studies have found that using zinc spray or lozenges within a day of getting cold symptoms can reduce the length of your cold! You have to be careful though as too much zinc can cause you to permanently lose your sense of smell! Also, if you get stung by a box jellyfish – a compound called zinc gluconate can take the sting away.
It is so important that we might not even be here without it. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, sparks of zinc are released, and without this zinc the egg cannot develop. At the same time, it is believed the zinc spark helps prevent polyspermy. In other words it helps prevent more than one sperm entering the egg. If more than one sperm enters the egg, this can lead to miscarriages and birth defects
GCSE Chemists – you need to be able to know the properties and uses of the transition metals. For help with this try our guide “How to work with the Transition Metals and Alloys”. It contains information on transition metals and what alloys are. It includes questions to try, and answers to check your understanding.
Click on the picture below to see the guide.
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