High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Zirconium hydride is an inorganic chemical compound, a hydride of zirconium with the formula ZrHx. Whereas x can be as large as 4, the most common values are between 1 and 2. Zirconium hydrides form upon reaction of zirconium metal with hydrogen gas. They behave as typical metals in terms of electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties. Those properties depend on the composition. For example, the Vickers hardness decreases with increasing hydrogen content – a phenomenon known as hydrogen embrittlement.