Platinum

__**Platinum!**__



**• Element Name:** Platinum **• Element Abbreviation:** Pt **• Chemical Characteristics:** Platinum is resistant to oxidation and corrosion by high temperatures or chemical elements. It can be dissolved by aqua regia, which is a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids. **• Physical Characteristics:** Platinum is one of the densest and heaviest metals. It is soft, flexible, and easily changed into different shapes. Platinum is usually a silvery-white color and doesn’t tarnish or oxidize. **• Where is it found in nature?** It a naturally occurring element, found in ores in basic igneous rocks. 75% of the world’s platinum is found in South Africa, followed by Russia and North America. Because only about 155 tons of platinum is produced a year, it is considered a rare metal. **• How is it recovered and purified?** It is often obtained as a by-product from nickel and copper mining because it is rarely found in large amounts. It can be separated using either a water bath (because platinum is very dense, it sinks to the bottom) or electromagnets (platinum is not magnetic- copper & nickel are). **• How do we use it?** It is used to make many products available to the public, such as jewelry. Platinum is also used in the electrical, aircraft, glass, and chemical industries. **• What products are made from it?** Platinum is used to make jewelry, surgical tools, laboratory utensils, electrical wires, and electrical contact points. **• How are they used?** Jewelry is used for decoration; platinum surgical tools are used in surgery because it is wear and tarnish resistant. It is also used in laboratories for this reason. It is a good conductor of electricity, which makes it useful for wires and contact points. **• Who uses the products?** Many of these products, such as jewelry, are used by everyday people. However, because platinum is a rare metal, it is often expensive to buy. Doctors and scientists often use the tools and utensils made from platinum. **• Are there any environmental concerns?** Platinum salts can cause health problems in humans, but scientists have not found any significant problems with platinum metal in the atmosphere. Cars using leaded gasoline often emit platinum through exhaust. **• How do they dispose of the waste products?** The platinum emitted through car exhaust usually just lingers in the atmosphere; it also accumulates in the roots of plants. Because platinum is a valuable metal, it is rarely wasted. **• Is it an important nutrient?** Platinum is not an important nutrient; it also does not harm your body in metal form. However, platinum salts can cause health problems, such as cancer, allergic reactions, organ damage, hearing damage, and DNA alterations.

By Beth White