Zinc oxide on a watch glass. Zinc oxide; ZnO; Molar mass 81.406 g/mol. Also known as zincite, Zinc white, calamine, philosopher's wool, Chinese white, flowers of zinc It is an inorganic compound insoluble in water. It has a wide range of industrial applications like rubbers, plastics, ceramics, glass, cement, lubricants, paints, ointments, adhesives, sealants, pigments, foods, batteries, ferrites, fire retardants, first-aid tapes. As a wide-band gap semiconductor it is being used in a number of emerging technologies including the boom in light-emitting diodes.