Discussion»Questions»Science and Technology» Why are the properties of zinc automatically better than those of copper in certain applications? Professor! Now is the time!
Zinc is a brittle and heavy metal that is highly reactive with oxygen and doesn't form any protective oxides. It also has poor electrical conductivity compared to copper. This makes zinc about as useful for electrical transmission as copper is for galvanic protection of iron.
They use zinc in some roofing applications. You've seen those ugly stains on asphalt roofs------ that is a form of algae growing there. If you have zinc strips applied to the peaks of your roof, or manufactured into your next set of shingles, the zinc slowly 'melts' down across the entire roof, killing the algae.