In this post, we discuss the introduction of platinum group metals and the benefits of this for our health, the environment, and our economy. We also explore the history of the discovery of these metals and how they are extracted from the earth, the platinum group metals are platinum, palladium, rhodium, Ruthenium, Osmium, and iridium, they’re important because of their unique properties.
Platinum (Pt)
The first platinum group metal to be discovered was platinum. Platinum is the third most abundant element in the earth’s crust and the most abundant metal in the platinum group. Platinum is an extremely hard and strong metal that’s very rare in nature.
It’s also a relatively inert metal, which means it doesn’t readily react with other elements. Platinum is often used for making jewelry because of its beauty and resistance to wear and tear. Platinum is used in electrical contacts and fuel cells. Platinum is one of the most useful metals in modern technology. Because of its high thermal conductivity, platinum is used as an electrical conductor. Platinum is also used in many catalytic converters because it has high catalytic activity. In the United States, platinum is produced from platinum group minerals.
Platinum is extremely important for the health sector. It is used in many medical procedures because of its ability to conduct electricity. It is often used in electrocardiogram (ECG) machines, pacemakers, stents, and catheters. It is also used to create a thin layer of insulation on wires. Platinum is also used in dental implants, and dental bridges, Palladium (Pd):It treats certain cancers and is often used in conjunction with chemotherapy.
Platinum is used in many other ways as well, including in the making of batteries, catalysts, and even fuel cells.
Palladium (Pd)
Palladium is a noble metal in the platinum group, it’s a soft metal and non-reactive metal, which is white in color and soft in nature.
Palladium is used in catalytic converters, which are found in most automobiles and are used to convert harmful emissions from the engine into less harmful gases.
Palladium is used in a number of consumer products, such as jewelry, batteries, electrical contacts, packaging of foods, manufacture of computer chips, and manufacture of alloys, such as the alloy used in aircraft engine parts.
It is also used in a variety of other industrial processes including electroplating, electronic components, solar cells, and batteries. In addition, palladium is used in a number of medical applications, including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Rhodium (Rh)
Rhodium is a lustrous and silvery-white metal.
The higher melting point and lower density of rhodium make it a very useful alloy when you need a material that resists heat well.
When heated it changes to a metal oxide when red and above 800 degrees Celsius it changes back to the element.
It’s good metal, It can withstand temperatures up to 600 C, so it won’t melt away when you have sweaty palms.
Copper, zinc, silver, tin, mercury, and palladium are examples of metals that are more reactive than gold.
You can choose from a variety of applications, such as aluminum, brass, bronze, and copper.
Metals are mainly used in alloys. Their use in the jewelry trade dates back to the Roman era.
This alloy is used in furnace windings, pen nibs, phonograph needles, high-temperature thermocouple and resistance wires, electrodes for aircraft spark plugs, bearings, and electrical contacts.
You should always use the best quality brass because it is the most versatile metal and can be used to plate jewelry and other products.
Iridium (Ir)
Iridium is the strongest of the platinum group metals, with a tensile strength of over 15,000 psi. It is also one of the most ductile, meaning it can be stretched without breaking.
Platinum is the best material for electrodes, but it is too expensive for mass production. Iridium is a good substitute for platinum, but it is not as durable. Iridium is much cheaper than platinum. The price of platinum is about $14,000 per kilogram. However, the price of iridium is about $250 per kilogram.
In fact, it is the only metal that is not toxic to humans, and it can be used in all kinds of medical applications. It can be used in dental implants, artificial joints, heart valves, pacemakers, and stents. It is also used as a catalyst in the production of organic chemicals, such as dyes and pharmaceuticals.
Ruthenium (Ru)
Ruthenium is also a very interesting element of Platinum Group Metals for physicists and chemists because it has an electronic configuration that is intermediate between that platinum and iron. This makes it an ideal element for studying the electronic structure of transition metals and, more generally, the electronic structure of atoms.
Ruthenium is a very important element of our economy. It is the second most important metal in the world after iron.
Its uses include catalysts in the petroleum industry, solar cells, and chemical separations.
Ruthenium is also used to make jewelry. The ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation of alkenes is an example of an industrial process involving ruthenium. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has identified the production of ruthenium as a priority technology for research. The metal is not found in nature but is produced by smelting ores containing ruthenium.
Osmium (Os)
Osmium is a shiny, silvery metal. One of the so-called platinum groups of metals, osmium is lustrous, almost silver, The densest metal known is Aluminum, though only by a very narrow margin.
Osmium is not affected by water or acids but dissolves with molten alkali, when osmium is heated in the presence of oxygen, it releases tiny amounts of osmium tetroxide vapor. This reaction is what makes osmium look bright red when lit up under a microscope.
The metal is used in a few alloys and in the industry as a catalyst.
The hard and corrosion-resistant mineral, called tungsten carbide, is used in almost everything from pencil tips and kitchen knives to nuclear fission cores, laser diode crystals, and rocket nozzles.
Osmium is usually found in alloys with other platinum metals and is extracted from this ore by electrolysis, Iridium is the most important ore because it is the only ore that yields osmium, and Iridium is a rare mineral that is found in Russia and North and South America.
Less than 100 kg are produced each year. There is little demand for metal, which is difficult to fabricate.
This list of some of the uses for platinum group metals is only a few of the applications for these precious metals. Because they are so versatile and popular, many people do not produce enough of them.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, growing demand for these materials could be expected to push up prices, although they expect that recycling efforts will reduce the impact of higher costs on consumer prices.
Some 155,000 kilograms of PGMs were recovered worldwide from scrap in 2013, including about 56,000 kilograms in North America.
Recycling metal is a good idea and many people would like to do it more often, but it’s more complicated than just recycling something like plastic bottles or aluminum cans. Some metals are very expensive and finding a way to recycle them is even harder.