Zinc or spelter which may also refer to zinc alloys is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state . Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth's crust and has five stable isotopes.