zone refining

noun

: a technique for the purification of a crystalline material and especially a metal in which a molten region travels through the material to be refined, picks up impurities at its advancing edge, and then allows the purified part to recrystallize at its opposite edge

called also zone melting

zone-refined adjective

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zone refining was in 1952

Dictionary Entries Near zone refining

Cite this Entry

“Zone refining.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zone%20refining. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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