How is platinum produced?
The metal is formed when minerals are eroded from their original spot and then carried by water somewhere else (this is called stream bed mining or alluvial mining). Workers sift through the sand or mud looking for gold, diamonds or platinum. Nowadays, platinum is more likely to be mined as ore from deep underground.
What are the main uses of platinum?
Platinum is commonly known for being used in the manufacturing of jewellery but its main applications spread to catalytic converters, electrical contacts, pacemakers, drugs and magnets.
What is platinum’s melting point?
1,768 °C
Platinum/Melting point
How important is platinum?
Platinum is widely used as a catalyst for chemical reactions. The most important use of platinum is in vehicles, as a catalytic converter, facilitating the complete combustion of unburned hydrocarbon passing through the exhaust. Platinum is used in jewelry, decoration and dental work.
Where is platinum found on Earth?
The majority (about 80 percent) of platinum is mined in South Africa. Approximately 10 percent is mined in Russia, and the rest is found in North and South America, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Which country discovered platinum?
Platinum was discovered in South America independently by Antonio de Ulloa in 1735 and by N. Wood in 1741, but it had been in use by pre-Columbian Indians.
What are 3 interesting facts about platinum?
Platinum is a silver-white metal — it was once known as “white gold.” It is extremely resistant to tarnishing and corrosion (which makes it known as a “noble metal”) and is very soft and malleable, making it easy to shape; ductile, making it easy to stretch into wire; and unreactive, which means it doesn’t oxidize and …
What is more precious than gold but Cannot be bought earned or saved?
Explanation: The answer to More precious than gold, but cannot be bought, Can never be sold Riddle is Friendship. As per the riddle, friendship is more precious than gold, but cannot be bought. It can never be sold, only earned if it’s sought.
What is the meaning of the word Platino?
What does platino- mean? Platino- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “ platinum,” a heavy, grayish-white, highly malleable and ductile metallic element. It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in chemistry. Platino- ultimately comes from Spanish platina, meaning “silverlike element.”
Which is the largest producer of platinum in the world?
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.
Where does the name Platinum come from on the periodic table?
Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platino, meaning “little silver”. Platinum is a member of the platinum group of elements and group 10 of the periodic table of elements.
Where are platinum mines located in the world?
It also produces 683,000 ounces of platinum annually. The company extracts precious and platinum group metals as by-products from its mines on the Taimyr and Kola Peninsulas (both in Russia) as well as from mines in Botswana and South Africa.
