Platinum
A variety of Minerals
What is Platinum?
Platinum - lustrous, highly ductile, and extremely resistant to tarnish - is one of the "three precious metals" famous for use in jewelry and as a sign of wealth. In addition to being used to create luxury goods, platinum is also utilized in all manner of industrial products, from catalytic converters and other engine parts to electrodes and even medications.
Etymology & Origins
Its name is derived from the Spanish term platino, meaning "little silver".
Uses & Applications
Platinum is a very versatile metal popularized in expensive jewelry. However, it is also used in automobiles to make catalytic converters, and can be employed in electronics to make computer hard disks. Furthermore, platinum is commonly a part of turbines, spark plugs, and even dental fillings.
Discover Values
This stone excels in rarity, popularity, cultural value, collection value.
Platinum Market Value Calculator
Estimate the market value of Platinum using size, quality, and finish. This preview calculator is for quick context and is not a formal appraisal.
Platinum Localities Map
See where Platinum is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.
Key Characteristics
Characteristics of Platinum
Pure platinum is a lustrous, ductile, and malleable, silver-white metal. Platinum is more ductile than gold, silver or copper, thus being the most ductile of pure metals, but it is less malleable than gold. The metal has excellent resistance to corrosion, is stable at high temperatures and has stable electrical properties. Platinum does oxidize, forming PtO2 , at 500 °C; this oxide can be easily removed thermally. It reacts vigorously with fluorine at 500 °C (932 °F) to form platinum tetrafluoride. It is also attacked by chlorine, bromine, iodine, and sulfur. Platinum is insoluble in hydrochloric and nitric acid, but dissolves in hot aqua regia (A mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids), to form chloroplatinic acid, H2 PtCl6 . Its physical characteristics and chemical stability make it useful for industrial applications. Its resistance to wear and tarnish is well suited to use in fine jewellery.
Formation of Platinum
Platinum is an extremely rare metal, occurring at a concentration of only 0.005 ppm in Earth's crust. It is sometimes mistaken for silver. Platinum is often found chemically uncombined as native platinum and as alloy with the other platinum-group metals and iron mostly. Most often the native platinum is found in secondary deposits in alluvial deposits. The alluvial deposits used by pre-Columbian people in the Chocó Department, Colombia are still a source for platinum-group metals. Another large alluvial deposit is in the Ural Mountains, Russia, and it is still mined. In nickel and copper deposits, platinum-group metals occur as sulfides (e.g. (Pt,Pd)S), tellurides (e.g. PtBiTe), antimonides (PdSb), and arsenides (e.g. PtAs2), and as end alloys with nickel or copper. Platinum arsenide, sperrylite (PtAs2), is a major source of platinum associated with nickel ores in the Sudbury Basin deposit in Ontario, Canada. At Platinum, Alaska, about 17,000 kg (550,000 ozt) was mined between 1927 and 1975. The mine ceased operations in 1990. The rare sulfide mineral cooperite, (Pt,Pd,Ni)S, contains platinum along with palladium and nickel. Cooperite occurs in the Merensky Reef within the Bushveld complex, Gauteng, South Africa. In 1865, chromites were identified in the Bushveld region of South Africa, followed by the discovery of platinum in 1906. In 1924, the geologist Hans Merensky discovered a large supply of platinum in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in South Africa. The specific layer he found, named the Merensky Reef, contains around 75% of the world's known platinum. The large copper–nickel deposits near Norilsk in Russia, and the Sudbury Basin, Canada, are the two other large deposits. In the Sudbury Basin, the huge quantities of nickel ore processed make up for the fact platinum is present as only 0.5 ppm in the ore. Smaller reserves can be found in the United States, for example in the Absaroka Range in Montana. In 2010, South Africa was the top producer of platinum, with an almost 77% share, followed by Russia at 13%; world production in 2010 was 192,000 kg (423,000 lb). Large platinum deposits are present in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Platinum exists in higher abundances on the Moon and in meteorites. Correspondingly, platinum is found in slightly higher abundances at sites of bolide impact on Earth that are associated with resulting post-impact volcanism, and can be mined economically; the Sudbury Basin is one such example.
Health & Safety Information
- ⚠️According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, short-term exposure to platinum salts may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, and long-term exposure may cause both respiratory and skin allergies. The current OSHA standard is 2 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over an 8-hour work shift. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has set a recommended exposure limit (REL) for platinum as 1 mg/m³ over an 8-hour workday. As platinum is a catalyst in the manufacture of the silicone rubber and gel components of several types of medical implants (breast implants, joint replacement prosthetics, artificial lumbar discs, vascular access ports, etc.), the possibility that platinum could enter the body and cause adverse effects has merited study. The Food and Drug Administration and other institutions have reviewed the issue and found no evidence to suggest toxicity in vivo. Chemically unbounded platinum has been identified by the FDA as a "fake cancer 'cure'". The misunderstanding is created by healthcare workers who are using inappropriately the name of the metal as a slang term for platinum-based chemotherapy medications like cisplatin. They are platinum compounds not the metal itself.
Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Steel grey to dark grey
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 4 - 4.5
- Density
- 21.472 g/cm³
- Streak
- Steel grey to dark grey
- Luster
- Metallic
- Crystal System
- Isometric
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- Pt
- Elements
- Pt
Also Known As
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