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The Lesser Known Platinum Metals

These are the hermits of the platinum group.
Although they keep a low profile, these elements serve many of us every day.

Each Metal is Unique

You may not hear much about them, but these 3 platinum metals each have specific characteristics that make them unique and useful. (oh, and valuable)

Palladium

One of the most unique properties of palladium is its ability to absorb hydrogen. At room temperature this metal can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen.

• Pd
• Atomic Number: 46
• Group Number: 10
• Period Number: 5

Special within the platinum group because it has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of all of the platinum metals.

Palladium is silvery-white in color and resembles platinum.

This metal is often alloyed in fine platinum jewelry and used for coating silver jewelry to prevent tarnish.

Like the celebrity platinum metals, palladium is

• Tarnish resistant
• Electrically stable
• Resistant to chemical erosion
• Able to withstand high temperatures

This metal is primarily used in making catalytic converters, in fact over 50% mined and recycled worldwide is used for the purpose of filtering harmful emissions (and that’s always good).

Palladium can also be found in

• Electronics, computers and phones
• Blood sugar test strips
• Coins
• Dentistry medicine
• Fuel cells
• Watch making
• Aircraft spark plugs
• Developing of photography film
• Storage of hydrogen and hydrogen isotopes

Discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston, palladium is mined in Russia, South Africa, the U.S. and Canada.

Ruthenium

Ruthenium is notable for its strength properties. In fact, adding just 0.1% ruthenium to titanium improves its corrosion resistance a hundred times over.

• Ru
• Atomic Number: 44
• Group Number: 8
• Period Number: 5

The incredible strength possessed by this metal makes it an ideal hardener for its white metal cousins platinum and palladium.

Ruthenium is also used

• For treatment of eye melanomas
• As a catalyst within the chemical industry
• Within gold jewelry for additional strength
• In alloys which coat and protect turbine jet blades
• As fountain pen nibs

Rarely do humans come in direct contact with ruthenium in its raw form.

It should be noted that this element is highly toxic and a source of carcinogens, (not good!).

Despite this volatile nature, ruthenium is capable of being incredibly helpful and is being researched for use in

• Fighting cancer
• Improving oil refining techniques
• Solar energy production equipment

Discovered and isolated in 1844 by Karl Klaus Russian, this ore is generally mined in South Africa, South America and Canada.

Osmium

Osmium is the densest element of them all, with a bluish-white color and a natural luster which makes it shine in raw form. (Most metals are dull until polished).

• Os
• Atomic Number: 76
• Group Number: 8
• Period Number: 6

This metal posesses the highest melting point and lowest vapor pressure of the platinum metals.

Because of incredible strength and density, osmium is very brittle and difficult to work with.

Crumbly nature aside, this metal has plenty of uses

• Fountain pen tips (again!)
• Electrical contacts
• Phonograph needles
• Fingerprint detection
• Staining fatty tissues for slides
• Pacemaker and replacement valves

Discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant in London, England. Osmium is primarily found in Turkey, Bulgaria, the Ural Mountains and parts of both North and South America.

Will They Get Their Lucky Break?

They may be unknown now, but these precious metals will be around forever, so chances are they will eventually see the limelight.

We are confident that these lesser known metals will become more important as time goes by, they will continue to grow in value over the long term.

Our money is on Palladium, its ability to absorb so much hydrogen (think fuel cells) is a talent the other two may never be able to top.

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