Can Zinc be Broken in Half? Understanding Its Brittleness and Malleability
                                
                                
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                                    4 min read                                
                            
                                At room temperature, zinc is a slightly brittle metal with a hexagonal close-packed crystal structure, a characteristic that defines its response to mechanical stress. Unlike many other metals, this structure means that with enough force, a piece of zinc can indeed be broken in half, though its properties are significantly influenced by temperature.