(no subject)
Meghan Maines
Ms. DiNatale
Honors Biology: A
21 October 2004
Platinum
Platinum is one of the rarest and most precious metals found in nature. The silvery white metal is used mostly for jewelry but also can be used as a catalyst and sometimes in electrical wiring (Newton 426). Platinum is a very difficult metal to obtain; it is often combined with other metals such as nickel and copper and extracted (Newton 427). The symbol for platinum is Pt; it has an atomic mass of 195.08, an atomic number of 78, 78 protons, 117 neutrons and 78 electrons. Platinum is one of the densest metals on earth at 21.45g/cm3 (Bentor 1).
The discovery of platinum is credited to Antonio de Ulloa in 1735, however there is some debate as to when it was actually discovered; people in South America had been using it long before Ulloa served there from 1735 to 1746. The first reference to platinum was made in the writings of Julius Caesar Scaliger, an Italian physician, scholar and poet. Scaliger saw platinum while in Central America a year before his death in 1557. The natives of Central America called the metal “platina”, meaning little silver. The natives thought of “platina” as a nuisance as it got in the way of mining gold and silver. When platinum was brought back to Europe it sparked what was called the “Platinum Age in Spain”. People figured out that it could be used along with silver and gold to make jewelry and art and the demand for the precious metal grew rapidly (Newton 426).
Platinum is not only a beautiful metal; its physical characteristics are amazing. It. is resistant to corrosion, it is both malleable and ductile, and has a boiling point of 3,827°C and a melting point of 1,774°C (Newton 426). It has 6 natural isotopes, platinum-190, which is the only radioactive platinum isotope, platinum-192, platinum-194, platinum-195, platinum-196, and platinum-198 (Newton 428). Platinum is an extremely hard metal, making it ideal for parts of cars and currency. It also is a very scarce metal, it is mostly found in South America, Russia, and North America. South America produces 2/3 of the metal, while Russia produces ¼ and North America produces the rest (Paulos 1).
Pure platinum is almost unheard of in nature. It is usually alloyed with another metal, which lowers it density. Platinum usually shows up in nuggets, grains or flakes and has a steel-gray streak. Platinum is very scarce in rock; it is mostly found in streams, nuggets are usually found behind rocks and bends in the water. The luster of platinum is metallic, the transparency is opaque, and the best field indicators that a metal is platinum are color, density, weak magnetism, hardness, associations and ductility. Platinum is associated with other metals such as chromite, magnetite, enstatite, pyroxene, olivine and occasionally gold (Natural 1). Platinum as an atom has 6 enegery levels, the first level consists of two electrons, the second has eight, the third eighteen, the fourth thirty-two, the fifth has seventeen, and the sixth consists of one (Bentor 1).
Platinum is one of the most rare and beautiful metals that occur in nature. It is very scarce which makes it extremely valuable. It is one of the most important elements in nature, as it can be used for so many different things.
(Bentor 1)
Works Cited
Bentor, Yinon. Chemical Element.com - Platinum. 21 October 2004 .
George Paulos. Platinum - Exploration and Extraction. 21 October 2004 .
NATIVE PLATINUM. 21 October 2004 .
David E. Newton. Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Copper. Farmington Hills, MI: UXL, an imprint of The Gale Group, 1999.
long story. dont ask.
Ms. DiNatale
Honors Biology: A
21 October 2004
Platinum
Platinum is one of the rarest and most precious metals found in nature. The silvery white metal is used mostly for jewelry but also can be used as a catalyst and sometimes in electrical wiring (Newton 426). Platinum is a very difficult metal to obtain; it is often combined with other metals such as nickel and copper and extracted (Newton 427). The symbol for platinum is Pt; it has an atomic mass of 195.08, an atomic number of 78, 78 protons, 117 neutrons and 78 electrons. Platinum is one of the densest metals on earth at 21.45g/cm3 (Bentor 1).
The discovery of platinum is credited to Antonio de Ulloa in 1735, however there is some debate as to when it was actually discovered; people in South America had been using it long before Ulloa served there from 1735 to 1746. The first reference to platinum was made in the writings of Julius Caesar Scaliger, an Italian physician, scholar and poet. Scaliger saw platinum while in Central America a year before his death in 1557. The natives of Central America called the metal “platina”, meaning little silver. The natives thought of “platina” as a nuisance as it got in the way of mining gold and silver. When platinum was brought back to Europe it sparked what was called the “Platinum Age in Spain”. People figured out that it could be used along with silver and gold to make jewelry and art and the demand for the precious metal grew rapidly (Newton 426).
Platinum is not only a beautiful metal; its physical characteristics are amazing. It. is resistant to corrosion, it is both malleable and ductile, and has a boiling point of 3,827°C and a melting point of 1,774°C (Newton 426). It has 6 natural isotopes, platinum-190, which is the only radioactive platinum isotope, platinum-192, platinum-194, platinum-195, platinum-196, and platinum-198 (Newton 428). Platinum is an extremely hard metal, making it ideal for parts of cars and currency. It also is a very scarce metal, it is mostly found in South America, Russia, and North America. South America produces 2/3 of the metal, while Russia produces ¼ and North America produces the rest (Paulos 1).
Pure platinum is almost unheard of in nature. It is usually alloyed with another metal, which lowers it density. Platinum usually shows up in nuggets, grains or flakes and has a steel-gray streak. Platinum is very scarce in rock; it is mostly found in streams, nuggets are usually found behind rocks and bends in the water. The luster of platinum is metallic, the transparency is opaque, and the best field indicators that a metal is platinum are color, density, weak magnetism, hardness, associations and ductility. Platinum is associated with other metals such as chromite, magnetite, enstatite, pyroxene, olivine and occasionally gold (Natural 1). Platinum as an atom has 6 enegery levels, the first level consists of two electrons, the second has eight, the third eighteen, the fourth thirty-two, the fifth has seventeen, and the sixth consists of one (Bentor 1).
Platinum is one of the most rare and beautiful metals that occur in nature. It is very scarce which makes it extremely valuable. It is one of the most important elements in nature, as it can be used for so many different things.
(Bentor 1)
Works Cited
Bentor, Yinon. Chemical Element.com - Platinum. 21 October 2004 .
George Paulos. Platinum - Exploration and Extraction. 21 October 2004 .
NATIVE PLATINUM. 21 October 2004 .
David E. Newton. Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Copper. Farmington Hills, MI: UXL, an imprint of The Gale Group, 1999.
long story. dont ask.