yttrium ← zirconium → niobium Ti ↑ Zr ↓ Hf 40Zr Periodic table
Appearance
silvery white
General properties
Name, symbol, number	zirconium, Zr, 40
Pronunciation	/zərˈkoʊniəm/ zər-KOH-ni-əm
Element category	transition metal
Group, period, block	4, 5, d
Standard atomic weight	91.224
Electron configuration	[Kr] 5s2 4d2
Electrons per shell	2, 8, 18, 10, 2 (Image)
Physical properties
Phase	solid
Density (near r.t.)	6.52 g·cm−3
Liquid density at m.p.	5.8 g·cm−3
Melting point	2128 K, 1855 °C, 3371 °F
Boiling point	4682 K, 4409 °C, 7968 °F
Heat of fusion	14 kJ·mol−1
Heat of vaporization	573 kJ·mol−1
Molar heat capacity	25.36 J·mol−1·K−1
Vapor pressure
P (Pa) 1 10 100 1 k 10 k 100 k at T (K) 2639 2891 3197 3575 4053 4678
Atomic properties
Oxidation states	4, 3, 2, 1,[1] (amphoteric oxide)
Electronegativity	1.33 (Pauling scale)
Ionization energies	1st: 640.1 kJ·mol−1
	2nd: 1270 kJ·mol−1
	3rd: 2218 kJ·mol−1
Atomic radius	160 pm
Covalent radius	175±7 pm
Miscellanea
Crystal structure	hexagonal close-packed
Magnetic ordering	paramagnetic[2]
Electrical resistivity	(20 °C) 421 nΩ·m
Thermal conductivity	22.6 W·m−1·K−1
Thermal expansion	(25 °C) 5.7 µm·m−1·K−1
Speed of sound (thin rod)	(20 °C) 3800 m·s−1
Young's modulus	88 GPa
Shear modulus	33 GPa
Bulk modulus	91.1 GPa
Poisson ratio	0.34
Mohs hardness	5.0
Vickers hardness	903 MPa
Brinell hardness	650 MPa
CAS registry number	7440-67-7
Most stable isotopes
Main article: Isotopes of zirconium
iso NA half-life DM DE (MeV) DP 88Zr syn 83.4 d ε - 88Y γ 0.392D - 89Zr syn 78.4 h ε - 89Y β+ 0.902 89Y γ 0.909D - 90Zr 51.45% 90Zr is stable with 50 neutrons 91Zr 11.22% 91Zr is stable with 51 neutrons 92Zr 17.15% 92Zr is stable with 52 neutrons 93Zr trace 1.53×106 y β− 0.060 93Nb 94Zr 17.38% >1.1×1017 y β−β− 1.144 94Mo 96Zr 2.8% 2.0×1019 y[3] β−β− 3.348 96Mo
v t e · r

Zirconium ( /zərˈkoʊniəm/ zər-KOH-nee-əm) is a chemical element with the symbol Zr, atomic number 40 and atomic mass of 91.224. The name of zirconium is taken from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. It is a lustrous, gray-white, strong transition metal that resembles titanium. Zirconium is mainly used as a refractory and opacifier, although minor amounts are used as alloying agent for its strong resistance to corrosion. Zirconium forms a variety of inorganic and organometallic compounds such as zirconium dioxide and zirconocene dichloride, respectively. Five isotopes occur naturally, three of which are stable. Zirconium compounds have no biological role.

Characteristics[link]

Zirconium is a lustrous, grayish-white, soft, ductile and malleable metal which is solid at room temperature, though it becomes hard and brittle at lower purities.^[4][5] In powder form, zirconium is highly flammable, but the solid form is far less prone to ignition. Zirconium is highly resistant to corrosion by alkalis, acids, salt water and other agents.^[6] However, it will dissolve in hydrochloric and sulfuric acid, especially when fluorine is present.^[7] Alloys with zinc become magnetic below 35 K.^[6]

Zirconium's melting point is 1855 °C (3371 °F), and its boiling point is 4371 °C (7900 °F).^[6] Zirconium has an electronegativity of 1.33 on the Pauling scale. Of the elements within d-block, zirconium has the fourth lowest electronegativity after yttrium, lutetium and hafnium.^[8]

At room temperature zirconium exhibits a hexagonally close packed crystal structure, α-Zr, which changes to β-Zr a body-centered cubic crystal structure at 863 °C. Zirconium exists in the β-phase until the melting point.^[9]

ZrZn₂ is one of only two substances to exhibit superconductivity and ferromagnetism simultaneously, with the other being UGe₂.^[10]

Isotopes[link]

A zirconium rod

Naturally occurring zirconium is composed of five isotopes. ⁹⁰Zr, ⁹¹Zr, ⁹²Zr and ⁹⁴Zr are stable. ⁹⁴Zr can undergo double beta decay (not observed experimentally) with a half-life of more than 1.10×10¹⁷ years. ⁹⁶Zr has a half-life of 2.4×10¹⁹ years, making it the longest-lived radioisotope of zirconium. Of these natural isotopes, ⁹⁰Zr is the most common, making up 51.45% of all zirconium. ⁹⁶Zr is the least common, comprising only 2.80% of zirconium.^[11]

Twenty-eight artificial isotopes of zirconium have been synthesized, ranging in atomic mass from 78 to 110. ⁹³Zr is the longest-lived artificial isotope, with a half-life of 1.53×10⁶ years. ¹¹⁰Zr, the heaviest isotope of zirconium, is also the shortest-lived, with an estimated half-life of only 30 milliseconds. Radioactive isotopes at or above mass number 93 decay by β⁻, whereas those at or below 89 decay by β⁺. The only exception is ⁸⁸Zr, which decays by ε.^[11]

Five isotopes of zirconium also exist as metastable isomers: ^83mZr, ^85mZr, ^89mZr, ^90m1Zr, ^90m2Zr and ^91mZr. Of these, ^90m2Zr has the shortest half-life at 131 nanoseconds. ^89mZr is the longest lived with a half-life of 4.161 minutes.^[11]

Occurrence[link]

World production trend of zirconium mineral concentrates

Zirconium has a concentration of about 130 mg/kg within the earth's crust and about 0.026 μg/L in sea water.^[12] It is not found in nature as a native metal, reflecting its intrinsic instability with respect to water. The principal commercial source of zirconium is the silicate mineral, zircon (ZrSiO₄),^[4] which is found primarily in Australia, Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa and the United States, as well as in smaller deposits around the world.^[5] 80% of zircon mining occurs in Australia and South Africa.^[4] Zircon resources exceed 60 million metric tons worldwide^[13] and annual worldwide zirconium production is approximately 900,000 metric tons.^[12] Zirconium also occurs in more than 140 other minerals, including the commercially useful ores baddeleyite and kosnarite.^[14]

Zr is relatively abundant in S-type stars, and it has been detected in the sun and in meteorites. Lunar rock samples brought back from several Apollo program missions to the moon have a quite high zirconium oxide content relative to terrestrial rocks.^[6]

Production[link]

Zirconium output in 2005

Zirconium is a by-product of the mining and processing of the titanium minerals ilmenite and rutile, as well as tin mining.^[15] From 2003 to 2007, zircon prices have steadily increased from $360 to $840 per metric ton.^[13]

Upon being collected from coastal waters, zircon-containing sand is purified by spiral concentrators to remove lighter materials, which are then placed back into the water safely, as they are all natural components of beach sand. Using magnetic separators, the titanium ores ilmenite and rutile are removed.

Most zircon is used directly in commercial applications, but a few percent is converted to the metal. Most Zr metal is produced by the reduction of the zirconium(IV) chloride with magnesium metal in the Kroll process.^[6] Commercial-quality zirconium for most uses still has a content of 1% to 3% hafnium.^[16] This contaminant is unimportant except in nuclear applications. The resulting metal is sintered until sufficiently ductile for metalworking.^[5]

Separation of Zr and Hf[link]

Commercial zirconium metal typically contains 1–2.5% of hafnium, which is not problematic because the chemical properties of hafnium and zirconium are rather similar. Their neutron-absorbing properties differ strongly, however, necessitating the separation of hafnium from zirconium for applications involving nuclear reactors.^[17] Several separation schemes are in use.^[16] The liquid-liquid extraction of the thiocyanate-oxide derivatives, exploits the slightly greater solubility of the hafnium derivative in methyl isobutyl ketone vs water. This method is used mainly in United States. Zr and Hf can also be separated by fractional crystallization of potassium hexafluorozirconate (K₂ZrF₆), which is less soluble in water than the analogous hafnium derivative. Fractional distillation of the tetrachlorides, also called extractive distillation, is used primarily in Europe. A quadruple VAM (vacuum arc melting) process, combined with hot extruding and different rolling applications is cured using high-pressure high-temperature gas autoclaving, resulting in reactor-grade zirconium that is about 10 times more expensive than the hafnium-contaminated commercial grade. The separated hafnium can be used for control rods of the reactor.^[18] The separation of hafnium is especially important for nuclear applications since Hf has very high neutron absorption cross-section, 600 times higher than zirconium, and therefore has to be removed for reactor applications.^[19]

Compounds[link]

Like other transition metals, zirconium forms a wide range of inorganic compounds and coordination complexes.^[20] In general, these compounds are colourless diamagnetic solids wherein Zr has the oxidation state IV+. Far fewer Zr(III) compounds are known, and Zr(II) is very rare.

Oxides, nitrides and carbides[link]

The most common oxide is zirconium dioxide, ZrO₂, also referred to as zirconia. This colourless solid has exceptional fracture toughness and chemical resistance, especially in its cubic form.^[21] These properties make zirconia useful as a thermal barrier coating,^[22] although it is also a common diamond substitute.^[21] Zirconium tungstate is an unusual substance in that it shrinks in all directions when heated, whereas most other substances expand when heated.^[6] Zirconyl chloride is a rare water-soluble zirconium complex, it has the relatively complicated formula [Zr₄(OH)₁₂(H₂O)₁₆]Cl₈.

Zirconium carbide and zirconium nitride are refractory solids. The carbide is used to make drilling tools and cutting edges. Zirconium(II) hydride is also known.

Halides and pseudohalides[link]

All four common halides are known, ZrF₄ ZrCl₄, ZrBr₄ and ZrI₄. All have polymeric structures and are far less volatile than the corresponding monomeric titanium tetrahalides. All tend to hydrolyse to give the so-called oxyhalides and dioxides. The corresponding tetraalkoxides are also known. Unlike the halides, the alkoxides dissolve in nonpolar solvents.

Organic derivatives[link]

Zirconacene dichloride, a representative organozirconium compound.

Organozirconium chemistry is the study of compounds containing a carbon-zirconium bond. The first such compound was zirconocene dibromide ((C₅H₅)₂ZrBr₂), reported in 1952 by Birmingham and Wilkinson.^[23] Schwartz's reagent, prepared in 1970 by P. C. Wailes and H. Weigold,^[24] is a metallocene used in organic synthesis for transformations of alkenes and alkynes.^[25] Zirconium is also a component of some Ziegler-Natta catalysts, used to produce polypropylene. This application exploits the ability of zirconium to reversibly form bonds to carbon. Most complexes of Zr(II) are derivatives of zirconacene, one example being (C₅Me₅)₂Zr(CO)₂.

History[link]

The zirconium-containing mineral zircon and related minerals (jargoon, hyacinth, jacinth, ligure) were mentioned in biblical writings.^[6][17] The mineral was not known to contain a new element until 1789,^[26] when Klaproth analyzed a jargoon from the island of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He named the new element Zirkonerde (zirconia).^[6] Humphry Davy attempted to isolate this new element in 1808 through electrolysis, but failed.^[4] Zirconium metal was first obtained in an impure form in 1824 by Berzelius by heating a mixture of potassium and potassium zirconium fluoride in an iron tube.^[6]

The crystal bar process (also known as the Iodide Process), discovered by Anton Eduard van Arkel and Jan Hendrik de Boer in 1925, was the first industrial process for the commercial production of metallic zirconium. The process involves the formation and subsequent thermal decomposition of zirconium tetraiodide. This method was superseded in 1945 by the much cheaper Kroll process developed by William Justin Kroll, in which zirconium tetrachloride is reduced by magnesium:^[5][27]

ZrCl₄ + 2 Mg → Zr + 2 MgCl₂

Applications[link]

Approximately 900,000 tonnes of Zr ores were produced commercially in 1995, mostly as zircon.^[16]

Compounds[link]

The great majority of zircon is used directly in a variety of high temperature applications. This material is refractory and hard, as well as resistant to chemical attack. Because of these properties, zircon finds many applications, few of which are highly publicized. Its main use is as an opacifier, conferring a white, opaque appearance to ceramic materials. Because of its chemical resistance, zircon is also used in aggressive environments, such as moulds for molten metals. Zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) is used in laboratory crucibles, metallurgical furnaces, as a refractory material,^[6] and it can be sintered into a ceramic knife. Zircon (ZrSiO₄) is cut into gemstones for use in jewellery.

Metal[link]

A small fraction of the zircon is converted to the metal, which finds various niche applications. Because of zirconium's excellent resistance to corrosion, it is often used as an alloying agent in materials that are exposed to aggressive environments, such as surgical appliances, light filaments and watch cases. The high reactivity of zirconium toward oxygen, apparent only at high temperatures, is the basis of some specialised applications as explosive primers and as getters in vacuum tubes. The same behavior is probably the basis of the use of Zr nano-particles as pyrophoric material in explosive weapons such as the BLU-97/B Combined Effects Bomb for incendiary effect.

Nuclear applications[link]

Consuming about 1% of the Zr supply, zirconium is used for cladding nuclear reactor fuels.^[16] For this purpose, it is mainly used in the form of zircaloys. The benefits of Zr alloys is their low neutron-capture cross-section and good resistance to corrosion under normal service conditions.^[5][6] The development of efficient methods for the separation of zirconium from hafnium was required for this application.

One disadvantage of zirconium alloys is their reactivity toward water at high temperatures leading to the formation of hydrogen gas and to the accelerated degradation of the fuel rod cladding:

Zr + 2 H₂O → ZrO₂ + 2 H₂

This exothermic reaction is very slow below 100 °C, but at temperature above 900 °C the reaction is rapid. Most metals undergo similar reactions. The redox reaction is relevant to the instability of fuel assemblies at high temperatures,^[28] This reaction was responsible for a small hydrogen explosion first observed inside the reactor building of Three Mile Island accidented nuclear power plant in 1979, but then, the containment building was not damaged. The same reaction occurred in the reactors 1, 2 and 3 of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant (Japan) after the reactors cooling was interrupted by the earthquake and tsunami disaster of March 11, 2011 leading to the Fukushima I nuclear accidents. After venting of hydrogen in the maintenance hall of these three reactors, the explosive mixture of hydrogen with air oxygen detonated, severely damaging the installations and at least one of the containment buildings. To avoid explosion, the direct venting of hydrogen to the open atmosphere would have been a preferred design option. Now, to prevent the risk of explosion in many pressurized water reactor (PWR) containment buildings, a catalyst-based recombinator is installed to rapidly convert hydrogen and oxygen into water at room temperature before explosivity limit is reached.

Space and aeronautic industries[link]

Materials fabricated from zirconium metal and its oxide (ZrO₂) are used in space vehicle parts for their resistance to heat.^[17] Zirconia is also a component in some abrasives, such as grinding wheels and sandpaper.^[26]

High temperature parts such as combustors, blades and vanes in jet engines and stationary gas turbines are to an increasing extent being protected by thin ceramic layers. These ceramic layers are usually composed by a mixture of zirconia and yttria.^[29]

Positron emission tomography cameras[link]

The isotope ⁸⁹Zr has been recently applied to the tracking and quantification of molecular antibodies with positron emission tomography (PET) cameras (a method called "immuno-PET"). Immuno-PET has reached maturity in terms of technical development and is now entering the phase of wide-scale clinical applications.^[30][31][32] Until recently, radiolabeling with ⁸⁹Zr was a complicated procedure requiring multiple steps. In 2001–2003 an improved multistep procedure was developed using a succinylated derivative of desferrioxamine B (N-sucDf) as a bifunctional chelate,^[33] and a better way of binding ⁸⁹Zr to mAbs was reported in 2009. The new method is fast, consists of only two steps, and uses two widely available ingredients: ⁸⁹Zr and the appropriate chelate.^[34]

Defunct applications[link]

Zirconium carbonate (3ZrO₂·CO₂·H₂O) was used in lotions to treat poison ivy but was discontinued because it occasionally caused bad skin reactions.^[4]

Safety[link]

Zirconium has no known biological role, and zirconium compounds are of low toxicity. The human body contains, on average, only 1 milligram of zirconium, and daily intake is approximately 50 μg per day. Zirconium content in human blood is as low as 10 parts per billion. Aquatic plants readily take up soluble zirconium, but it is rare in land plants. 70% of plants have no detectable zirconium content, and those that do have as little as 5 parts per billion.^[4]

Short-term exposure to zirconium powder can cause irritation, but only contact with the eyes requires medical attention.^[35] Inhalation of zirconium compounds can cause skin and lung granulomas. Zirconium aerosols can cause pulmonary granulomas. Persistent exposure to zirconium tetrachloride resulted in increased mortality in rats and guinea pigs and a decrease of blood hemoglobin and red blood cell in dogs. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends a 5 mg/m³ time weighted average limit and a 10 mg/m³ short-term exposure limit for air dust.^[36]

See also[link]

• Zirconium alloys
• Zirconia light

Books View or order collections of articles	Zirconium Period 5 elements Group 4 elements Chemical elements (sorted alphabetically) Chemical elements (sorted by number)
Portals Access related topics	Chemistry portal
Find out more on Wikipedia's Sister projects	Images and media from Commons Definitions from Wiktionary

References[link]

External links[link]

• Chemistry in its element podcast (MP3) from the Royal Society of Chemistry's Chemistry World: Zirconium

vep:Cirkonii

Adrian Lewis
Personal information
Full name	Adrian Lewis
Nickname	Jackpot
Born	(1985-01-21) 21 January 1985 (age 27) Stoke-on-Trent, England
Home town	Stoke-on-Trent England
Darts information
Playing darts since	2003
Darts	21g Target 'Adrian Lewis'
Laterality	Right-handed
Walk-on music	Reach Up (Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag) by Perfecto Allstarz
Organisation (see split in darts)
BDO	2002–2003
PDC	2003 – Present
Current world ranking	2
BDO majors - best performances
World Darts Trophy	Round 2 2007
Int. Darts League	Semi Finalist 2007
PDC premier events - best performances
World Ch'ship	Winner (2) 2011, 2012
World Matchplay	Semi Finalist (2) 2007, 2011
World Grand Prix	Runner Up 2010
Grand Slam	Semi Finalist 2011
Premier League	Runner Up 2011
Ch'ship League	Initial groups, Runner-up 2008
Desert Classic	Quarter Finalist (2) 2007, 2009
European Ch'ship	Runner Up (2) 2008, 2011
UK Open	Quarter Finalist 2010
Players Ch'ship Finals	Quarter Finalist 2010
Other tournament wins
Tournament	Years
British Teenage Open Chris de Roo Open Players Championship (AUT) Players Championship (CRA) Players Championship (GER) Players Championship (IRE) Players Championship (SCO) UK Open Qualifier UK Open Scottish Regional Final World Cup of Darts	2003 2004 2009 2010 2010 2009 2005, 2006 2011 2005 2012

Adrian Lewis (born 21 January 1985 in Stoke-on-Trent) is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) who is the reigning two time PDC World Darts Champion. He is nicknamed Jackpot, following a visit to a casino whilst competing at the 2005 Las Vegas Desert Classic when he "won" a $72,000 jackpot but was unable to claim the money as he was under-age by US gaming laws – despite being eligible in the UK.^[1] During the early part of his career until 2007, he was a protégé of multi-world champion Phil Taylor having practised together in their home city Stoke-on-Trent and made his television debut in 2004, aged 19 at the UK Open.^[1]

Early career[link]

Lewis had shown his potential at the age of 18 by winning the 2003 British Teenage Open and after competing at the 2003 Winmau World Masters he joined the PDC without ever qualifying or playing in the Lakeside World Championship.^[2]

Lewis reached a semi-final of the regional qualifiers for the UK Open in 2004, which provided his opportunity for a television debut at the 2004 UK Open in Bolton, where he narrowly lost his last 64 match to Dennis Harbour. His next television appearance came against his mentor Taylor at the 2004 Las Vegas Desert Classic where he went out 0–2 in the first round. He then went on to win his first match on television at the 2004 World Grand Prix beating former world champion Richie Burnett.

He failed to qualify for the 2005 PDC World Championships but back at Bolton for the UK Open he produced one of the rare whitewashes in the tournament history, beating Colin Monk 11–0 before falling to Chris Mason in the last 16. His World Matchplay debut came in 2005 and reached the quarter-finals before losing to Colin Lloyd.

Major Breakthrough[link]

During 2005, Lewis began to produce some promising results including a run to the quarter-finals of the 2005 World Matchplay. Towards the end of 2005, he matched Phil Taylor by winning both PDC Pro Tour events during a weekend in Scotland by taking the PDPA Players Championship and the UK Open Scottish Regional titles.^[3]

Lewis made his PDC World Championship debut in 2006, where he reached the quarter-finals by defeating Dave Honey, Dennis Priestley and Roland Scholten.^[4] He was involved in, what has become, an infamous match against Peter Manley. When 1–2 down Lewis successfully hit a blind 180, where he turned to face Manley as the last dart was in the air. Manley won the set and then appeared to say something while Lewis was throwing, which caused him to leave the stage. Lewis did return, but went on to lose the match 3–5.^[5]

His biggest breakthrough came in May 2006 when he joined the 15 other PDC players in the top 16 competing against 16 American qualifiers in the World Series of Darts which was broadcast on ESPN. Lewis' performance in this tournament made others refer to him as a major threat in years to come. He beat Lloyd, Denis Ovens and Priestley before falling in the final to Taylor.

His ranking continued to rise by reaching the later stages of the non-televised PDC Pro Tour events during 2006 as well as the quarter-finals of the UK Open in 2006 where he beat Wayne Mardle 11–10 in the last 16, before losing to John MaGowan 11–8 in the last eight.

2007–2010[link]

Between 2007 and 2010, Lewis produced inconsistent form and was often unable to follow up on big wins such as the 2007 World Matchplay in Blackpool where he beat the incumbent world champion Raymond van Barneveld 16–14 in the quarter finals before losing heavily 7–17 in the semi finals to James Wade.

He lost to Andy Jenkins in the last 16 of the 2007 World Championship, but was selected by Sky Sports as a wildcard for the 2007 Premier League.^[6][7] The event is prestigious as it involves the top 7 PDC players and the aforementioned wildcard. Lewis finished seventh in the league, winning five of his fourteen matches.^[8]

He reached the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the second time in 2008, but was defeated 2–5 by Kevin Painter.^[9] At the 2008 European Darts Championship, Lewis played his first-round match against Hannes Schnier with three plasters on his non-throwing hand – having attempted to catch a falling glass backstage but shattered in his hand. After winning the match 5–2, Lewis was taken to hospital for checks on two deep cuts.^[10] Lewis went on to beat Ovens 9–5 in the 2nd round, before producing arguably the best performance of his career with a 9–2 victory over van Barneveld in the quarter-finals. An 11–7 victory over Manley set up a final with Taylor. Lewis lost 11–5 but his performance in the tournament guaranteed him a place in the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts.

Lewis was defeated in the second round of the 2009 World Championship, 3–4 by Paul Nicholson but did manage to end his title drought in September.^[11] He won his first PDC Pro Tour event in three years at the Austrian Players Championship, where he beat Carlos Rodriguez 6–4 in the final, which included a nine dart finish. He dedicated victory to his one month old daughter. He added another Pro Tour title the following month at the Irish Open Players Championship beating Andy Hamilton in the final by 6 legs to 4.

His form on television also improved during 2009 reaching the quarter finals of the Las Vegas Desert Classic, World Matchplay and World Grand Prix. During 2010 he also made the last eight of the World Championship, Players Championships and UK Open before reaching his first televised final on Sky Television in the 2010 World Grand Prix where he beat Phil Taylor for the first time on television in the semi finals but lost to James Wade in the final. There were further title successes in 2010, when he won Players Championships in Crawley and Germany to bring his overall Pro Tour title tally to seven.

2011 season[link]

World Championship win[link]

Lewis reached the final of the 2011 PDC World Darts Championship courtesy of victories over Tony Eccles, Mark Dudbridge, Robert Thornton, Vincent van der Voort and Mark Webster en route to the final, where he played Gary Anderson. The match-up ensured that, for the first time, the winner of the PDC World Championship would not have previously succeeded in the rival BDO World Championship. Lewis himself became the only player to have reached the PDC final without playing full-time on the BDO circuit.

During the first set of the match, Lewis became the first player to throw a nine dart finish in a World Championship final.^[12] Lewis went on to win the match 7–5 and with it the championship,^[12] guaranteeing him a place in the 2011 Premier League. He has also risen to his highest ranking of no.2. In addition, at 25 years old Lewis became the fifth youngest player to win a World Championship, behind Jelle Klaasen (21 in 2006), Eric Bristow (22 in 1980), Keith Deller (23 in 1983), and Mark Webster (24 in 2008), as well as the youngest ever PDC World Champion.

Rest of 2011[link]

In the 2011 Players Championship Finals Lewis lost 6–4 to Steve Beaton in the first round.

Lewis signed a one-year sponsorship deal with pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond in January 2011.

He got off to a winning start in the 2011 premier league of darts by beating the 2010 champion Phil Taylor 8–2, only to lose to Taylor 8–3 in their second meeting. Week 4 saw him get his first heavy defeat of the 2011 campaign, losing 8–2 to Mark Webster. He went on to defeat Gary Anderson in Anderson's home country of Scotland after both players were distracted by the crowd. Lewis was being booed and coins were thrown at him but he went on to win the match 8–3 and both players stated their disappointment with the crowd. During his walk on he had beer thrown over him.^[13] Lewis proceeded to make it to the final of the 2011 Premier League but lost 10–4 to Gary Anderson after beating Phil Taylor 8–3 in the semi final in the same night.

Lewis was eliminated in the third round of the 2011 U.K. Open by Terry Jenkins, who took a 9–7 match. He lost 17–10 in the semi-finals of the 2011 World Matchplay to James Wade. He hit another perfect 9 dart leg on the 31st July 2011 at the European Darts Championships against Raymond van Barneveld during their semi- final match which he won 11–10. He played Phil Taylor in the final and lost 8–11.^[14]

In the 2011 World Grand Prix, he played John Part in his first round match. He lost 2 sets to 1 after leading 1–0 in sets and 2–0 in legs.

He reached the final of the first players championship in Derby and was defeated 6–2 by Jamie Caven.^[15] In the Crawley Players Championship he was defeated in the final by Paul Nicholson 6–4 in a hard fought match, he had defeated Ronnie Baxter 6–5 in the semi final.^[16]

Lewis was now under the management of former World Champion Keith Deller and under his guidance he has appeared in several major finals, including his World Championship win.

2012 season[link]

Defending his title[link]

Lewis became the third player, after Eric Bristow and Raymond van Barneveld, to successfully defend their first World Championship title in the 2012 PDC World Championship, by beating Andy Hamilton 7–3 in the Final.^[17]

He almost exited the tournament on multiple occasions, beginning with his first round match against Nigel Heydon. He trailed 0–2 and was stung by a wasp during a break on his non-throwing hand, but nevertheless managed to claw his way back to 2–2. Heydon led 2–1 in the deciding set, but never had a dart for the match as Lewis won four of the last five legs to avoid an early exit.^[18] More comfortable victories ensued over Robert Thornton (4–2) and Wayne Jones (4–0), with Lewis seemingly heading for the semi-finals as he led Terry Jenkins 3–0 in the last 8, having only lost 2 legs.^[19] However, his opponent stormed back to level the match, before Lewis rediscovered his form to win the last two sets and clinch a 5–3 win. He said after the match that he had "lost his way" during Jenkins' fightback, but was delighted to be in the semi-finals.^[20]

His semi-final match with James Wade was hailed as one of the greatest comebacks of all time. Lewis trailed both 2–0 and 5–1, only to win the next 5 sets, including 10 straight legs, to incredibly win 6–5 and finished with a 161 checkout.^[21] After the semi-final Lewis stated: "That was the best win of my career, definitely".^[22]

The match eventually finished at 12:50am (GMT) and with Lewis required to give a drug test upon its completion, he stated he only got 4 hours sleep after going to bed at 5am.^[23] However, Lewis managed to never trail against Hamilton and was a double 12 away from hitting a nine-darter in the final for the second successive year. Lewis clinched victory with his third attempt at the match winning double and said afterwards he believed he could win 10 World Championship titles.^[17]

The tournament victory took Lewis' career prize money above the £1 million mark,^[3] and confirmed his number two status in the PDC Order of Merit.^[24] His semi-final comeback was named PDC Televised Performance of the Year at the PDC annual awards ceremony on 3 January.^[25]

Rest of 2012[link]

Lewis maintained his form for his next tournament of the season as he represented England and won the 2012 PDC World Cup of Darts, with Phil Taylor. The pair needed a sudden-death leg to see off Canada in the second round, before defeating the United States and Wales to reach the final where they played the Australian team consisting of Simon Whitlock and Paul Nicholson. The final finished with the scores at 3–3 meaning that a sudden-death leg was required to decide the title. Australia missed four darts to take the crown and England two, before Lewis took out double 5 to win his first World Cup, stating that the victory meant more to him than his second world title won a month earlier.^[26]

Lewis was an automatic entrant for the Premier League due to his Order of Merit ranking.^[27] His first game was against Taylor, just four days after their World Cup win. Lewis led the match 6–1, before Taylor came back to draw 7–7.^[28] Taylor averaged 112.79 which is the highest ever average in a match without actually winning it.^[29] Lewis drew his next two matches before succumbing to a heavy 1–8 defeat to Gary Anderson. He had to wait until the 7th game of the season for his first win which came with a 8–3 defeat of Kevin Painter.^[30] Lewis went into the final match knowing a victory over Simon Whitlock would guarantee him a place in the play-offs,^[31] however he lost 6–8 to finish the season 6th in the table.^[32]

World Championship Results[link]

• 2006: Quarter-Finals (lost to Peter Manley 3–5)
• 2007: Third Round (lost to Andy Jenkins 3–4)
• 2008: Quarter-Finals (lost to Kevin Painter 2–5)
• 2009: Second Round (lost to Paul Nicholson 3–4)
• 2010: Quarter-Finals (lost to Phil Taylor 0–5)
• 2011: Winner (beat Gary Anderson 7–5)
• 2012: Winner (beat Andy Hamilton 7–3)

Controversies[link]

Lewis has been involved in several controversial matches during his career, including his debut World Championship in 2006. During his quarter final with Peter Manley he decided to leave the stage part-way through the match as he alleged Manley had been trying to upset him whilst he was throwing.^[33]

In April 2008, he argued with Kevin Painter during their quarter final match at the Holland Masters. This resulted in a 6 months ban for Lewis, as well as a 4 months suspension and a fine of £400.

At the 2009 World Grand Prix Lewis was playing Gary Anderson in the second round and during the first set the two players exchanged words after Anderson felt Lewis went into the exclusion zone while Anderson was throwing. Lewis won the match 3–2.^[34]

The final of the 2010 World Grand Prix saw Lewis in an ill-tempered clash which eventually he lost 3–6 to James Wade. Lewis accused Wade of putting off his throw, by "stamping" on the oche.^[35] The pair exchanged a brief handshake, which Wade appeared to look reluctant about. Lewis had also been involved in an incident with Taylor, just 24 hours earlier, during their semi-final match, where Taylor accused Lewis of playing up to the crowd to put him off.^[36]

During the 2012 PDC World Darts Championship, both Lewis and his opponent James Wade left the stage with Lewis trailing 2–0 in sets, after complaining of a 'draft' blowing across the stage. The 25 minute break seemed to provoke the crowd into heckling Lewis for the remainder of the game, Lewis went on to win the match 6–5.^[37]

Ranking and earnings[link]

Lewis has risen to second in the PDC Order of Merit – the PDC's world ranking system, and has been ranked 2nd since beating Gary Anderson to win his first World Championship final. He has won £1,153,717 during his six year career.^[3]

Personal life[link]

His first daughter, Myla Niamh was born in August 2009.^[38] In 2011, within a few days after winning the world championship, he broke up with his girlfriend.^[39] He supports his local football team Stoke City.^[40]

Outside of darts[link]

In 2012, Lewis, together with the other seven players who competed in the Premier League recorded a charity single with Chas Hodges and his band called 'Got My Tickets For The Darts' which was written by Chas. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 in London, where it was premiered. Proceeds from the single will be donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice.^[41]

Performance timeline[link]

References[link]