Question

Choose a metal to describe in depth; Include information on its discovery, history, abundance, physical

and chemical properties, and uses or applications.

Answer 1

Platinum is a dense, stable and rare metal that is often used in jewelry for its attractive, silver-like appearance, as well as in medical, electronic, and chemical applications due to its various and unique chemical and physical properties.
Properties
Atomic Symbol: Pt
Atomic Number: 78
Element Category: Transition metal
Density: 21.45 grams / centimeter3
Melting Point: 3214.9 °F (1768.3 °C)
Boiling Point: 6917 °F (3825 °C)
Moh's Hardness: 4-4.5

Characteristics

Platinum metal has a number of useful properties, which explains its application in a wide range of industries. It is one of the densest metal elements—almost twice as dense as lead—and very stable, giving the metal excellent corrosion resistant properties. A good conductor of electricity, platinum is also malleable (able to be formed without breaking) and ductile (able to be deformed without losing strength) .

Platinum is considered a biologically compatible metal because it is non-toxic and stable, so it does not react with or negatively affect body tissues. Recent research has also shown platinum to inhibit the growth of certain cancerous cells.

History

An alloy of the platinum group metals (PGMs), which includes platinum, was used to decorate the Casket of Thebes, an Egyptian tomb that dates back to about 700BC. This is the earliest known use of platinum, although pre-Columbian South Americans also made ornaments from gold and platinum alloys.
Spanish conquistadors were the first Europeans to encounter the metal, although they found it a nuisance in their pursuit of silver because of its similar appearance. They referred to the metal as Platina—a version of Plata, the Spanish word for silver—or Platina del Pinto because of its discovery in the sands along the banks of the Pinto river in modern-day Columbia.

The First Production and a Large Discovery -

Although studied by a number of English, French and Spanish chemists in the mid-18th century, Francois Chabaneau was the first to produce a pure sample of platinum metal in 1783. In 1801, Englishman William Wollaston discovered a method for effectively extracting the metal from ore, which is very similar to the process used today.
Platinum metal's silver-like appearance quickly made it a valued commodity amongst royalty and the wealthy who sought jewelry made from the latest precious metal.
Growing demand led to the discovery of large deposits in the Ural Mountains in 1824 and Canada in 1888, but the finding that would fundamentally change platinum's future did not come until 1924 when a farmer in South Africa stumbled across a platinum nugget in a riverbed. This ultimately led to geologist Hans Merensky's discovery of the Bushveld igneous complex, the largest platinum deposit on earth.

Production of Platinum

Although platinum most often naturally occurs in placer deposits, platinum and platinum group metal (PGM) miners usually extract the metal from sperrylite and cooperite, two platinum-containing ores.
Platinum is always found alongside other PGMs. In South Africa's Bushveld complex and a limited number of other ore bodies, PGMs occur in sufficient quantities so as to make it economical to exclusively extract these metals; whereas, at Russia's Norilsk and Canada's Sudbury deposits platinum and other PGMs are extracted as by-products of nickel and copper. Extracting platinum from ore is both capital and labor-intensive. It can take up to 6 months and 7 to 12 tons of ore to produce one troy ounce (31.135g) of pure platinum.
The first step in this process is to crush platinum containing ore and immerse it in the reagent containing water; a process known as 'froth flotation'. During flotation, air is pumped through the ore-water slurry. Platinum particles chemically attach on to the oxygen and rise to the surface in a froth that is skimmed off for further refining.

Applications

For a metal whose annual global production is a mere 192 tons, platinum is found in, and critical to the production of, many everyday items.
The largest use, accounting for about 40% of demand, is the jewelry industry where it is primarily used in the alloy that makes white gold. It is estimated that over 40% of wedding rings sold in the US contain some platinum. The USA, China, Japan, and India are the largest markets for platinum jewelry.

Industrial Applications

Platinum's corrosion resistance and high-temperature stability make it ideal as a catalyst in chemical reactions. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions without themselves being chemically altered in the process.
Platinum's main application in this sector, accounting for about 37% of total demand for the metal, is in catalytic converters for automobiles. Catalytic converters reduce harmful chemicals from exhaust emissions by initiating reactions that turn over 90% of hydrocarbons (carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen) into other, less harmful, compounds.

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