Platinum

Platinum is a chemical element with symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, gray-white transition metal. Its name comes from the Spanish term platina, meaning “little silver”.

Properties

• Phase: Solid
• Density: 21.45 g/cm³
• Melting Point: 2041.4 K
• Boiling Point: 4098 K

Uses

• Catalytic converters and chemical catalysts
• Jewelry and watchmaking
• Laboratory crucibles and corrosion-resistant equipment
• Electrical contacts and high-temperature components
• Fuel cells and hydrogen processing

Extraction Process

Platinum is typically found with other platinum-group metals in sulfide ores or as heavy grains in placer deposits. Ore is crushed and concentrated, smelted into a sulfide matte, then chemically refined. The platinum-group metals are separated using dissolution and selective precipitation, followed by high-temperature refining to reach high purity.