Platinum

Platinum is a member of the platinum group metals and is lustrous, malleable and ductile. Of the group of six metals (Pt, Pd, Os, Ir, Rh and Ru), it is the most important. It is unaffected by oxygen and water and is only soluble in aqua regia or fused alkalis. Applications for platinum are many and varied; for example, it is used to make weights and measures standards, it is used in the electronics industry for electrical contacts which might be subject to high temperatures, and it is used to manufacture electrodes which might be subject to chemical attack. A current and important use of platinum is in car exhaust catalysts, in which a ceramic honeycomb is coated with platinum. Platinum is also used to manufacture jewellery and, along with gold and silver, has its own hallmark.

Symbol

Pt

Discovered

Known to native South Americans before the arrival of Columbus and was introduced into Europe around 1750. The first mention of the metal platinum in any written text was in 1557.

Abundance

0.001 ppm in the earth’s crust.

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Atomic number	78		Clip
Atomic / Molecular Weight	195.08	gmol-1	Clip
Density	21450	kgm-3	Clip
Crystal Structure	fcc		Clip
Lattice constant	392	fm	Clip
Melting Point	2042	K	Clip
Boiling Point	4093	K	Clip
Tensile strength	350000000	Nm-2	Clip
Youngs modulus	150000000000	Nm-2	Clip
Poissons ratio	0.38		Clip
Linear expansivity	0.000009	K-1	Clip
Specific heat capacity	134	Jkg-1K-1	Clip
Thermal conductivity	69 to 72	Wm-1K-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (longitudinal bulk waves)	3260	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Irrotational waves)	2800	ms-1	Clip
Acoustic wave velocity (Shear waves)	1730	ms-1	Clip
Bulk Modulus of Rigidity	228000000000	Nm-2	Clip
Electromotive Series	-1.2	V	Clip

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See also: Iridium, Osmium, Palladium, Periodic Table, Rhodium, Ruthenium.