Thursday, 5 May 2011

Rare And Sought Precious Metals

By Jacob Watson


A metal that occurs rarely in nature and also has a good economic value and is additionally, not a radioactive element can be termed as a precious metal. Usually, precious metals are not as reactive as other elements and they also have higher melting points than the usual metals. In ancient days, the precious metals were used as coins for currency. The precious metals known for their high value are gold, silver, platinum and palladium.

The palladium precious metal, which is silvery white and lustrous in appearance, was first seen by William Hyde Wollaston. The name is derived from the asteroid Pallas. Rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and Iridium along with palladium form the platinum group of metals as they show characteristics similar to the precious metal platinum.

The precious metal platinum is a very rare, transition element found on the surface of the earth with a dense and grayish white appearance. Platinum is removed from its nickel and copper ores which are most commonly found in South Africa, where nearly eighty percent of the platinum of the world has been discovered. Platinum has the quality of non- corrosiveness even when heated to great temperatures and thus has been named a noble metal. In its native state, as it is usually found, it can be seen along the fertile river banks and was traditionally used for producing art objects.

Both the above precious metals can be used to make electrical contacts, catalytic converters and also in dentistry and as jewelry. Their scarcity makes them very much in demand and it is also used in a number of industrial applications. For instance, the precious metal platinum is found in electrodes and also in resistance thermometer. A Platinum compound, Cisplatin is made of use of in chemotherapy as it can help to combat certain forms of cancer.

The precious metal platinum is a shiny, silver-white metal and is used in jewelry because it has a good resistance to wear and tear and does not tarnish easily. It has very good electrical properties as well and is therefore ideal to use in industrial applications.




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