Zinc hydroxide is a hydroxide of zinc, with the chemical formula Zn(OH)2. It is used in surgical dressings. Zinc is a metallic element with the atomic number 30. It is found in nature most often as the mineral sphalerite. It also occurs naturally as 3 rare minerals: wн_lfingite (orthorhombic), ashoverite and sweetite (both tetragonal).Though excess zinc in harmful, in smaller amounts it is an essential element for life, as it is a cofactor for over 300 enzymes and is found in just as many transcription factors.