{"id":325,"date":"2020-04-09T10:48:23","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T10:48:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/?page_id=325"},"modified":"2023-08-15T11:43:06","modified_gmt":"2023-08-15T11:43:06","slug":"platinum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thechemicalelements.com\/platinum\/","title":{"rendered":"Platinum (Pt)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Platinum is a chemical element with the atomic number 78 in the periodic table. It\u2019s an extremely rare metal<\/a> with an abundance in Earth’s crust of about a millionth of 1 percent. Known since ancient times, this transition metal<\/a> has strong anti-corrosive properties and makes for an excellent conductor of electricity.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a member of the transition metals (platinum) family of the periodic table, platinum has a divalent electron structure that rarely interacts with other chemical elements or compounds. Its inability to form oxides upon exposure to air classifies platinum as a precious metal, an excellent oxidation catalyst, as well as a symbol of prestige.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chemical and Physical Properties of Platinum<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Property<\/strong><\/td>Value<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
The symbol in the periodic table of elements<\/td>Pt<\/td><\/tr>
Atomic number<\/td>78<\/td><\/tr>
Group number<\/td>10 (Platinum group metals)<\/td><\/tr>
Period<\/td>6 (d-block)<\/td><\/tr>
Color<\/td>A silvery-white color<\/td><\/tr>
Physical state<\/td>Solid at room temperature<\/td><\/tr>
Half-life<\/td>From 260(+260-90) milliseconds to 6.50\u00d71011<\/td><\/tr>
Electronegativity according to Pauling<\/td>2.2<\/td><\/tr>
Density<\/td>21.4 g.cm-3 at 20\u00b0C<\/td><\/tr>
Melting point<\/td>1768.2\u00b0C, 3214.8\u00b0F, 2041.4 K<\/td><\/tr>
Boiling point<\/td>3825\u00b0C, 6917\u00b0F, 4098 K<\/td><\/tr>
Van der Waals radius<\/td>0.138 nm<\/td><\/tr>
Ionic radius<\/td>0.096 nm (+2)<\/td><\/tr>
Isotopes<\/td>39<\/td><\/tr>
Most characteristic isotope<\/td>195Pt<\/td><\/tr>
Electronic shell<\/td>[Xe] 4f145d96s1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the first ionization<\/td>867 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
The energy of the second ionization<\/td>1788 kJ.mol-1<\/td><\/tr>
Discovery date<\/td>In 1557 by Julius Scaliger, and in 1735 by Antonio de Ulloa<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With the periodic table symbol Pt, atomic number 78, atomic mass of X g.mol<\/span>-1<\/span>, and electron configuration [Xe] 4f<\/span>14<\/span>5d<\/span>9<\/span>6s<\/span>1<\/span>, platinum is a soft, dense, ductile, and malleable silvery-white metal. It reaches its boiling point at 3825\u00b0C, 6917\u00b0F, 4098 K, while the extremely high melting point of this noble metallic element is achieved at 1768.2\u00b0C, 3214.8\u00b0F, 2041.4 K. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a member of the platinum group of elements in the periodic table, element 78 has an electronegativity of 2.2 according to Pauling, whereas platinum\u2019s atomic radius according to van der Waals is 0.138 nm. Platinum\u2019s crystals have a cubic form that creates penetration twins in the form of small waterworn nuggets. At high temperatures, platinum may absorb large quantities of hydrogen<\/a> gas, just like a sponge.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, this member of the transition metals family in the periodic table does not readily form chemical reactions with other chemical elements. This inert, but flexible and highly resistant metal is an excellent conductor of electricity, possesses strong anti-corrosive properties, and is slightly attracted to magnetic fields.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Was Platinum Discovered?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before the discovery of the American continent, the <\/span>ancient people<\/span><\/a> living in the southern parts were using a white gold-platinum alloy to make various ornaments. This chemical element was implemented in the daily life of the native South Americans before Columbus and was taken to Europe around 1750. There are artifacts that point to the fact that the ancient Egyptians were also using <\/span>platinum<\/span> alongside gold to make jewelry. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the Indians in pre-Hispanic times widely exploited the rich sources of minerals and metals in Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador. Most often, pyroxenes, peridotites, and dunites were the richest sources of this shiny metal. It could also be found in small grains occurring with gold placer deposits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of Julius Caesar Scaliger (Giulio Cesare della Scala)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1557, the Italian physician Julius Caesar Scaliger (1484-1558) published his scientific analysis of this shiny substance which confirmed his doubts that it\u2019s not silver, as it was widely believed. However, more than two centuries later, Scaliger was the only scientist who had been interested in the new metal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of the Spanish cruiser Don Antonio de Ulloa<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When he traveled around South America, the Spanish general, explorer, naturalist, and scientist <\/span>Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Girault<\/span><\/a> (1716 \u2013 1795) took home several of those platinum nuggets. By this, he became recognized as the first scientist who has recognized platinum as a chemical element. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin with, Antonio de Ulloa became part of the French Geodesic Mission in 1735. The mission aimed to record the degree of meridian arc at the equator in Ecuador. During this expedition, de Ulloa and his fellow colleague Jorge Juan made several astronomical, natural, and social discoveries. The findings of these two scientists and explorers from the aforementioned areas of exploration also included observations of the new shiny white metal, which was later recognized as the element 78, i.e. platinum (Pt). <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By bringing several platinum nuggets with him back in Europe, de Ulloa sparked the interest of the alchemists who were trying to convert any base metal they could find into gold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Contribution of Henrik Teofilus Scheffer<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1751, the Swedish chemist Theophil Scheffer conducted a more thorough analysis of platinum. Upon the basis of the scientific data he derived, Scheffer classified the new element as a precious metal. From this moment in history on, the platinum-made objects became ones of prestige.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How Did Platinum Get Its Name?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the 1500s, the Spanish obtained platinum from the alluvial gold<\/a> mines of the R\u00edo Pinto, Colombia. As it was traced as a shiny silvery-white impurity in some of the mineral ores, they thought it was a form of silver<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, this chemical element got its name after the Spanish word ‘platina’ (meaning \u2018little silver\u2019), since the people of that time were referring to the substance as \u2018<\/span>the platina del Pinto<\/span><\/i>\u2019, meaning \u201cthe little silver<\/a> from the Pinto\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Can You Find Platinum?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Platinum is a transition metal that typically occurs as disseminated grains in iron<\/a> and magnesium-rich igneous rocks. It can also be traced in quartz veins associated with pyrolusite, hematite, and chlorite. When these rocks weather, the heavy and dense platinum metal forms accumulations in the form of grains or nuggets in the resulting placer deposits. The naturally occurring form of platinum can be traced alongside iron and other metals, such as palladium<\/a>, iridium, and rhodium. For this reason, it almost always contains some impurities associated with traces of iron, gold, iridium, osmium<\/a>, copper, nickel<\/a>, rhodium, or palladium in the ore. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Platinum can be obtained as a byproduct of nickel mining or from the gold-bearing deposits in the USA, Canada, Columbia, and the Ural Mountains in the form of the mineral sperrylite (PtAs2). The world’s largest platinum deposits are found in the Merensky Reef in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa. Lac des Iles Mine, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, is the only active platinum mine in Canada from which palladium ore is primarily obtained. The largest portion of the platinum supplies of the United States come from Stillwater Mine, located in Montana.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Platinum in Everyday Life<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apart from its use as an investment commodity or as jewelry, the chemical inactivity of this noble transition metal has made platinum a component of choice in some highly significant industrial processes, too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n