Zinc is a bluish-white transition metal meth a melting point of 420 degrees Celsius. It is a reactive, malleable metal. It has oxidation states of +1 and +2 with the latter being the most common. It has a very low melting point for a transition metal, so it is sometimes not included as one. The pure metal was probably first isolated by the German chemist Andreas Marggraf in 1746.

Zinc is most commonly used in galvanization to protect the metal that is coating. It is also alloyed with copper to produce brass for use in various goods. Its compounds can be used for lights, cosmetics, and a few other things.