What is Platinum?

Platinum – Features and Specifications

Platinum is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Pt and its atomic number is 78. Platinum is a metal…
Platinum is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Pt and its atomic number is 78. Platinum is a whitish gray conductive metal that conducts electricity, is flexible, heavy and very valuable, and is resistant to corrosion and oxidation. And is found in some copper and nickel mines. Platinum is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, electrical fittings, dentistry and anti-pollution devices in cars.
– History
Platinum is derived from the Spanish word Platina, which means small silver. Natural platinum and fortified platinum alloy have been known for many years. Used by the Colombian Indians, the first European reference to platinum was found in 1557 in the writings of the Italian anthropologist Julius Caesar Scaliger, a mysterious metal mined from Central America between Darién and Panama. It has been said, “It is still indelible, even with Spanish art.”
The Spaniards called the metal Platina when they first arrived in Spain. They looked at it as an impurity in the silver they mined and often abandoned it.
Platinum was discovered by astronomer Antonio De Ulloa and Don Jorge Juan y Santacilia. Both were invited by King Philip V to join a geographical mission to Proca from 1735 to 1745. Among other things in Colombia, Olva found Platina del pinto, a useless metal found with gold in New Granada, Colombia.
British privateers seized the Ulwa on a return voyage. Although he was treated well in England and even became a member of the Royal Society, it was not until 1748 that he published his findings on the unknown metal. Earlier, in 1741, Charles Wood had effectively removed the element.
Platinum is currently more valuable and expensive than gold, so platinum awards are better than gold awards. The price of platinum varies depending on its frequency, but it is usually worth 8 times as much as gold. For long periods, the standard definition of the meter was based on the distance between the two marks on a platinum-iridium ingot kept at Sevres. This metal is also used in the definition of “Standard Hydrogen Electrode”.
– Genesis
Platinum is usually found in pure form or in splitite ore (PtAs2 arsenide), which is the largest source of the metal. The natural alloy of Platinum is Platiniridium, which is found in the mineral Cooprite (Platinum Sulfide, Pt S).
It is usually associated with small amounts of other platinum family metals found in alluvial materials in Colombia, Ontario, and the Ural Mountains, and in some western states.
Platinum is economically produced as a by-product of nickel ore processing. The sheer volume of nickel ores processed indicates that platinum is only 2 per million of these ores.
– Remarkable features
This metal, when pure, is very beautiful and silvery white in color, conducts electricity and is soft and flexible. This metal is resistant to corrosion. The catalytic properties of the metals of the sixth group of the platinum family are very prominent and important. (Note that hydrogen and oxygen explode in the vicinity of platinum). High durability and anti-blurring properties of platinum is the reason for using inlays in making delicate and beautiful jewelry.
Other outstanding properties of this metal are resistance to chemical reactions and high temperatures and stable electrical properties. All of these features are used in industry. Platinum does not oxidize to any degree in close proximity to air, but is corroded by cyanides, halogens, sulfur, and strong bases. The metal does not dissolve in hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, but dissolves easily in a solution of royal jelly (produces chloroplatinic acid). The oxidation states of platinum are +2, +3 and +4.
– applications
Platinum is used in jewelry, wire, in the manufacture of high heat-tolerant containers for chemical applications, and in high-temperature electric furnaces.
Well-separated platinum is used as a catalyst. For example, it is used in catalytic converters of various automobiles and industrial processes, such as the manufacture of sulfuric acid.
The metal can absorb large amounts of hydrogen gas, releasing it when heated. Therefore, it is studied as a source of gas storage in vehicles and in fuel cells.
The chemical industry uses a significant amount of platinum or platinum-radium alloy as a catalyst in the form of a fine mesh to catalyze the selective oxidation of ammonia to prepare nitric oxide, which is the raw material for fertilizers and explosives, and nitric acid.
Catalytic platinums are used in the refining of crude oil and the improvement of high gasoline production process as well as aromatic compounds in the petrochemical industry.
The coefficient of expansion of this metal is equal to Soda-Lime-Silica glass and is used in the manufacture of sealed electrodes in glass systems.
Platinum and cobalt alloys have excellent magnetic properties. The alloy, which consists of 76% platinum and 23% cobalt, is very strong magnetically.
Platinum / Osmium 10/90 alloy is used to make heart pacemakers, replacement valves and other surgical instruments.
This metal is used to cover rocket nose caps and hair fuel nozzles