Editing Sphalerite (section)

== Uses ==

=== Metal ore ===
Sphalerite is an important ore of zinc; around 95% of all primary zinc is extracted from sphalerite ore.<ref name=USGS>{{Cite web|title=Zinc Statistics and Information|url=https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/zinc-statistics-and-information|access-date=2021-02-25|website=www.usgs.gov}}</ref> However, due to its variable trace element content, sphalerite is also an important source of several other metals such as cadmium,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/cadmium/|title=Cadmium – In: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries|publisher=United States Geological Survey|year=2017}}</ref> gallium,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Frenzel|first1=Max|last2=Ketris|first2=Marina P.|last3=Seifert|first3=Thomas|last4=Gutzmer|first4=Jens|date=March 2016|title=On the current and future availability of gallium|journal=Resources Policy|volume=47|pages=38–50|doi=10.1016/j.resourpol.2015.11.005|bibcode=2016RePol..47...38F }}</ref> germanium,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Frenzel|first1=Max|last2=Ketris|first2=Marina P.|last3=Gutzmer|first3=Jens|date=2014-04-01|title=On the geological availability of germanium|journal=Mineralium Deposita|language=en|volume=49|issue=4|pages=471–486|bibcode=2014MinDe..49..471F|doi=10.1007/s00126-013-0506-z|issn=0026-4598|s2cid=129902592}}</ref> and indium<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Frenzel|first1=Max|last2=Mikolajczak|first2=Claire|last3=Reuter|first3=Markus A.|last4=Gutzmer|first4=Jens|date=June 2017|title=Quantifying the relative availability of high-tech by-product metals – The cases of gallium, germanium and indium|journal=Resources Policy|volume=52|pages=327–335|doi=10.1016/j.resourpol.2017.04.008|bibcode=2017RePol..52..327F |doi-access=free}}</ref> which replace zinc. The ore was originally called ''blende'' by miners (from German ''blind'' or ''deceiving'') because it resembles galena but yields no lead.{{sfn|Klein|Hurlbut|1993|p=357}}

=== Brass and bronze ===
The zinc in sphalerite is used to produce [[brass]], an alloy of copper with 3–45% zinc.<ref name="Klein-2017b"/> Major element alloy compositions of brass objects provide evidence that sphalerite was being used to produce brass by the Islamic as far back as the [[Middle Ages|medieval ages]] between the 7th and 16th century CE.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Craddock|first=P.T.|title=Brass in the medieval Islamic world; 2000 years of zinc and brass|publisher=British Museum Publications Ltd.|year=1990|isbn=0-86159-050-3|pages=73–101}}</ref> Sphalerite may have also been used during the cementation process of brass in Northern China during the 12th–13th century CE ([[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin Dynasty]]).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Xiao|first1=Hongyan|last2=Huang|first2=Xin|last3=Cui|first3=Jianfeng|date=2020|title=Local cementation brass production during 12th–13th century CE, North China: Evidences from a royal summer palace of Jin Dynasty|url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2352409X2030448X|journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports|language=en|volume=34|pages=102657|doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2020.102657|bibcode=2020JArSR..34j2657X |s2cid=229414402}}</ref> Besides brass, the zinc in sphalerite can also be used to produce certain types of bronze; bronze is dominantly copper which is alloyed with other metals such as tin, zinc, lead, nickel, iron and arsenic.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tylecote|first=R. F.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/705004248|title=A history of metallurgy|date=2002|publisher=Maney Pub., for the Institute of Materials|others=Institute of Materials|isbn=1-902653-79-3|edition=2nd|location=London|oclc=705004248}}</ref>
[[File:Etoile d'Asturies, sphalerite.jpg|thumb|250x250px|Faceted sphalerite, known by the name of Étoile des Asturies, one of the largest in existence. It actually comes from the Aliva mine, Cantabria (Spain). Cantonal Museum of Geology of Lausanne.]]

=== Other ===

* [[Yule Marble]] – sphalerite is found as inclusions in yule marble, which is used as a building material for the [[Lincoln Memorial]] and [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier|Tomb of the Unknown]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=S.|first=McGee, E.|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1004947563|title=Colorado Yule marble : building stone of the Lincoln Memorial : an investigation of differences in durability of the Colorado Yule marble, a widely used building stone|date=1999|publisher=U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey|isbn=0-607-91994-9|oclc=1004947563}}</ref>
* [[Galvanization|Galvanized iron]] – zinc from sphalerite is used as a protective coating to prevent corrosion and rusting; it is used on power transmission towers, nails and automobiles.<ref name="Routledge-2003"/>
* Batteries.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Hai|first1=Yun|last2=Wang|first2=Shuonan|last3=Liu|first3=Hao|last4=Lv|first4=Guocheng|last5=Mei|first5=Lefu|last6=Liao|first6=Libing|date=2020|title=Nanosized Zinc Sulfide/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composite Synthesized from Natural Bulk Sphalerite as Good Performance Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11837-020-04372-5|journal=JOM|language=en|volume=72|issue=12|pages=4505–4513|doi=10.1007/s11837-020-04372-5|bibcode=2020JOM....72.4505H|s2cid=224897123|issn=1047-4838}}</ref>
* [[Gemstone]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Voudouris|first1=Panagiotis|last2=Mavrogonatos|first2=Constantinos|last3=Graham|first3=Ian|last4=Giuliani|first4=Gaston|last5=Tarantola|first5=Alexandre|last6=Melfos|first6=Vasilios|last7=Karampelas|first7=Stefanos|last8=Katerinopoulos|first8=Athanasios|last9=Magganas|first9=Andreas|date=2019-07-29|title=Gemstones of Greece: Geology and Crystallizing Environments|journal=Minerals|language=en|volume=9|issue=8|pages=461|doi=10.3390/min9080461|bibcode=2019Mine....9..461V|issn=2075-163X|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Murphy|first1=Jack|last2=Modreski|first2=Peter|date=2002-08-01|title=A Tour of Colorado Gemstone Localities|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00357529.2002.9925639|journal=Rocks & Minerals|language=en|volume=77|issue=4|pages=218–238|doi=10.1080/00357529.2002.9925639|bibcode=2002RoMin..77..218M |s2cid=128754037|issn=0035-7529}}</ref>