17 Interesting Facts About Platinum
Platinum is a rare and highly valued metal used in various industries to make jewelry, electrical contacts, medication, catalytic converters, pacemakers, and magnets. It’s shiny and silver-like appearance makes it popular in jewelry making.
Here are some interesting facts about platinum.
- Platinum is a very rare metal, and there are only five parts per billion by weight of platinum in the Earth’s crust.
- Due to its rarity, platinum tends to be very expensive.
- It’s extremely resistant to corrosion and tarnishing, and sometimes people refer to it as a Noble metal.
- In olden times, platinum was known as white gold.
- Platinum is part of a group of transition metals, including gold, silver, titanium, and copper.
- The melting point of platinum is very high at 3215 degrees Fahrenheit or 1768 degrees Celsius.
- While there are six natural isotopes of platinum, 37 artificial ones have been developed in a lab.
- In ancient times, Egyptians and Mayans used platinum to make jewelry and decorative pieces.
- In the 18th century, platinum was the 8th known metal in the world.
- The platinum ore is dissolved in and separated using a nitric and hydrochloric acid solution and then melted at very high temperatures to extract the pure metal.
- Platinum has low reactivity levels, so it’s used in many anti-cancer drugs to treat tumors and cancer. About 50% of cancer patients currently utilize platinum containing drugs.
- Bodily fluids cannot corrode it, so it’s also used in pacemakers, dental grounds, and other equipment inserted into the human body.
- Every year, about 1800 tons of platinum are mined.
- Combining platinum with cobalt creates permanent magnets used in medical instruments, watches, motors, etc.
- Using platinum in substances such as gasoline, fertilizers, fuel cells, and plastics increases their efficiency as this chemical acts as a catalyst.
- Because of the many uses of platinum, many investors invest in platinum as a precious metal due to its potential for economic growth.
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