Is Zinc Magnetic?

Zinc is a handy metal found in everything from nutritious foods to car parts. But is zinc magnetic? The short answer is no, zinc is not magnetic. But there’s some intriguing science behind why this common metal doesn’t stick to magnets.

Keep reading. As a professional neodymium magnet manufacturer, I will lead you to get the full scoop on zinc’s weird magnetic properties.

Is Zinc Magnetic?

No, zinc is not magnetic because it lacks unpaired electrons and exhibits diamagnetic properties, which are characterized by a weak repulsion from magnetic fields.

Why Zinc Isn’t Magnetic

Looking at zinc’s electron configuration provides more detail into why the metal lacks magnetism: [Ar] 3d10 4s2

The important part is the filled inner 3d orbital that holds 10 electrons. With 5 sets of spin-paired electrons, zinc’s inner shell cancels out any magnetic moments that would otherwise arise. And while the 4s orbital contains two seemingly unpaired electrons, quantum mechanics requires they couple into a spin-zero pair.

So in total, zinc atoms’ electrons are paired, and there are no unpaired electrons available to create a magnetic moment. For a material to exhibit magnetism, it typically needs to have unpaired electrons, which can align their spins in response to an external magnetic field.

That’s why zinc is actually classified by scientists as “diamagnetic.”

What is Diamagnetism?

Diamagnetism is the property of being weakly repelled by magnetic fields.

So if you place a strong magnet near a piece of zinc, the zinc will subtly move away from the magnet.

That said, the effect is very subtle. And zinc does NOT become magnetized itself.

Diamagnets like zinc create an induced magnetic field in the opposite direction to an externally applied magnetic field. This causes repulsion between the two magnetic fields.

But again, the induced field is extremely feeble and disappears as soon as the external field is removed.

So zinc is not attracted to magnets like iron. But it does display some interesting physics when interacting with magnetic fields.

When CAN Zinc Become Magnetic?

Okay, so pure zinc is non-magnetic. But what if it’s combined with other materials?

It turns out there ARE a few niche cases where zinc exhibits magnet-like properties:

1. Melted Zinc Metal

If you melt down metallic zinc and pour it near a strong magnet, something very strange happens…

The liquid zinc metal will subtly move away from the magnet!

What’s going on here?

Well, scientists think that when the melted zinc flows around the magnetic field, tiny electrical currents get generated.

And these currents actually create their own tiny magnetic field in opposition to the main magnet. So the magnet repels the liquid zinc.

Of course, the zinc itself is NOT becoming magnetic. The electrical currents cause the repulsion. But it’s still a neat physics demonstration!

2. Zinc Oxide

Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound formed from zinc and oxygen atoms.

It has widespread industrial uses from plastics to makeup to dandruff shampoo.

Zinc oxide also displays some limited magnetic properties if manufactured the right way.

Specifically, when trace amounts of magnetic contaminants like iron, cobalt, or nickel get introduced, zinc oxide can become weakly magnetic.

So while pure zinc oxide is diamagnetic, impure batches with trace metals take on ferromagnetic properties.

The magnetism depends heavily on the concentration and type of the contaminants present. So batches will differ and display different properties under a magnetic field.

Why DOES Iron Become Magnetic But Not Zinc?

Since we’ve explored why zinc DOESN’T stick to magnets, a natural question arises…

How come some metals like iron ARE strongly magnetic?

It turns out that magnetism results from unpaired electrons spinning within a material. Specifically, transition metals tend to be the most magnetic.

For example, iron has FOUR unpaired electrons in its outer shell!

This allows strong magnetism to emerge when the electrons align themselves with an external magnetic field. These individual microscopic magnets then stack up in parallel, multiplying the effect across billions of atoms.

So iron can become a strong permanent magnet itself, which zinc cannot do.

Nickel and cobalt also have two unpaired electrons and show ferromagnetism like iron.

In contrast, lighter elements like zinc have completely filled electron shells with all electrons happily paired up. So zinc atoms don’t contribute ANY magnetic moment that can line up.

That’s why zinc displays only weak, temporary diamagnetism when exposed to other magnetic fields. But does NOT become magnetic on its own.

Hopefully that sheds some light on why zinc defies magnets! Now let’s explore some real-world examples…

Is Zinc Magnetic In Pennies or Coins?

Pennies make the perfect at-home science experiment for testing zinc’s magnetism.

Here in the U.S., pennies produced since 1983 consist of a zinc core coated with a thin copper plating.

And since both zinc and copper are diamagnetic, these newer pennies are NOT attracted to magnets.

So if you grab a post-1983 Lincoln cent and try sticking it to a fridge magnet, it won’t budge!

Now for a bonus experiment…

If you melt down a few (100 or less) modern pennies to extract the raw zinc inside, you can recreate the cool liquid zinc physics demonstration from earlier!

Carefully pour your molten zinc near a strong neodymium magnet, and you may see the liquid metal subtly repelled. Remember, it’s not the zinc itself becoming magnetic. Just electrical currents induced in the moving metal that oppose the external magnet.

So there’s your definitive proof right from US coinage – zinc is non-magnetic!

By the way, the 1 cent Euro coin minted since 2002 also consists of a steel core plated in copper. So European coins will show the same physics.

Prior to 1983, American pennies were made of 95% copper. So older copper-heavy cents WILL be weakly attracted to magnets.

Real-World Uses For Zinc’s Non-Magnetism

Okay, on to some practical applications. Why does it matter in the real world that zinc is non-magnetic?

Here are two big ones:

Electromagnetic Shielding

Devices like radios, TVs, and mobile phones produce electromagnetic fields. These EM fields can interfere with other electronics.

That’s where non-magnetic zinc comes in handy! Introducing a layer of conductive zinc shields sensitive electronics from stray EM signals.

Zinc effectively blocks and absorbs electromagnetic radiation thanks to free electrons in its atomic structure. The free electrons scatter the signals.

So next time your TV goes haywire whenever your microwave is on, blame EM interference! A Faraday shield made of conductive metals like zinc could help block confusing transmissions.

MRI Safety

Zinc alloys and compounds show up in everything from medical tools to building materials in hospitals.

Non-magnetic zinc causes no imaging artifacts or disturbances around strong MRIs. So it’s perfect for creating MRI-safe equipment!

Remember, an MRI scanner uses a massive 1.5+ Tesla magnet. Steel tools would get yanked out of a doctor’s hands. While equipment made with zinc alloys causes no safety issues or electronic disturbances.

So doctors can safely use zinc-based tools around sensitive imaging equipment. Helpful for precise surgical procedures when an MRI is in use!

Zinc oxide is also an ingredient in topical creams safe to apply before undergoing an MRI scan. Since it won’t get attracted by the machine’s powerful magnetic coils.

So there you have it…a couple niche uses that rely on zinc NOT reacting to magnetic fields!

The Takeaway: Why Zinc Is NOT Magnetic

While zinc displays some wonky physics like repelling liquid zinc metal, pure zinc is NOT magnetic in the classical sense.

That’s because zinc atoms have no unpaired electrons. So each zinc atom exhibits no magnetic moment to align within an external field.

Other transition metals like iron DO have unpaired electrons in their outer shell. So their electrons CAN spin and align across atoms to create ferromagnetism.

But zinc only shows extremely weak, temporary induced magnetism called diamagnetism.

So the next time you want to stick a note or photo on your refrigerator, don’t reach for that shiny penny! The zinc core won’t react to magnets.

Instead, grab an old-fashioned steel paperclip…now THOSE are still reliably magnetic!