Iridium
Iridium is a chemical element with atomic number 77 in the periodic table of chemical elements. This
The history of the discovery of this substance is somewhatprosaic. Iridium was discovered along with osmium during the refining process for platinum. The scientist who made this discovery, Tennant, was delighted with the beauty of the picture created by the Iridium salts - "rainbows". This is how the name of this chemical element was born.
The pure metal is not toxic, but it can react with the formation of toxic substances, for example, IrF6 fluoride.
- How much is?
Iridium is one of the rarest preciousmetals, which is found as a by-product of the extraction of platinum and palladium, has risen in price by 131% since the beginning of this year, Bloomberg reports. This is much more than Bitcoin, which has risen 85% in value since January.
Iridium now costs three times as much as gold - by$ 6,000 per ounce. It is used in the production of premium spark plugs and in electronics. The price of the metal is rising due to supply disruptions in the past year and high demand.
Due to the sharp rise in price, iridium has becomean attractive asset for investors, the agency notes. However, it is not so easy to buy it - the metal is not traded on the stock exchange or through exchange-traded funds. Investors have to go directly to producers and buy iridium bullion or repurchase it at a higher price.
Together with iridium, the demand for other rare metals of the platinum group has grown.
Like other PGMs, iridium is mined as a by-product of nickel production. The largest deposits of iridium are in South Africa and Russia.
- How is it used?
Because of its hardness, iridium is difficult to convert tousable parts. However, those characteristics that make it difficult to work with, and make it a valuable additive for hardening alloys. Although it is a catalytic metal, iridium is the preferred material for crucibles due to its high melting point and corrosion resistance.
When found in nature, the chemical element Iraccompanied by its natural isotopes. These are stable 191 and 193. However, there is a whole network of synthesized isotopes with short half-lives. Of these, the most remarkable is relatively stable (with a lifetime of 241 years) Iridium 192, has an Ir 192 isomer with a half-life of 74 days.
The first one can act as a source of electricity. The second is used as an indicator of the quality of welds. Gamma flaw detectors are equipped with the 192 isotope.
Since the strength of the metal is commensurate with itscompanion Osmium, the material can replace the latter in almost all areas. It is used for the manufacture of thermocouples, fuel tanks, thermoelectric generators.
The alloy of platinum and Ir, even without copper, is known for highdurability, talk that it was previously used to make nibs for pens - true, but similar products were made of an alloy of platinum with osmium. Unlike the latter, iridium is happily used for alloys with platinum by jewelers. Although it is refractory, it still allows you to achieve the necessary forms, to put a stigma.
Primary deposits of osmic iridium are located mainly in peridotite serpentinites of folded regions (South Africa, Canada, Russia, USA, New Guinea).
Rhodium
Rhodium is relatively unknown to people outside the metallurgical industry.
Rhodium (Rh) is an element of the ninth group (in the oldsystem - a side subgroup of the eighth group) of the fifth period of the periodic system of chemical elements, atomic number - 45. The simple substance rhodium is a solid transition metal of silvery-white color. A noble metal of the platinum group.
Discovered in England in 1803 by William HydeWollaston in the course of work with native platinum. In 1804, William Wollaston reported to the Royal Society that he had discovered new previously unknown metals in platinum ore from South America - palladium and rhodium. In an effort to purify the "raw" platinum extracted from the ore from the impurities of gold and mercury, he dissolved it in aqua regia, and then precipitated it from the solution with ammonia. The remaining solution had a pink tint, which could not be explained by the presence of then known impurities. The addition of zinc to this solution resulted in the formation of a black precipitate, which included other metals such as copper, lead, palladium and rhodium. Diluted nitric acid dissolved everything except palladium and rhodium.
- How much is?
Now the price of rhodium is 68,573 rubles per gram.
Part of the reason for the high price of the metal is itsrarity. The annual production of rhodium is about 30 tons. By comparison, gold mining companies excavate between 2,500 and 3,000 tons of the precious metal annually. With tighter emissions regulations in major countries including China and India, platinum group metal (PGM) miners are looking forward to good times for rhodium.
Author: Alchemist-hp (talk) www.pse-mendelejew.dederivative work: Purpy Pupple (talk) — Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0
It is worth noting that rhodium is subject to the greatestprice fluctuations of all precious metals - the price for it has changed hundreds of times over the past half century. In February 2006, rhodium prices reached a record high of $3,500 per troy ounce. In January 2008, rhodium prices set a new record of $7,000 per ounce. After peaking at $10,100 per ounce, the price of rhodium fell to $900 at the end of November 2008 due to the crisis in the automotive industry. On November 19, 2009, the price of the metal rose to $2,600 per ounce.
As of September 2015, the average rhodium price is $ 756.67 an ounce.
Lowest price in recent years for rhodiumwas observed in August 2016 and amounted to $625 per ounce, after which the price of the metal has been steadily growing. At the end of January 2020, the price reached a record $10,165 ounce. On February 20, 2021, the price per ounce exceeded $20 thousand. At the end of March, rhodium reached a record $29.8 thousand per ounce
- How is it used?
Rhodium is used in catalyticneutralizers that are part of vehicle exhaust systems. According to S&P Global Platts, almost 80% of the demand for rhodium and palladium comes from the global automotive industry. 80% of all rhodium is mined in South Africa. Rhodium is also used as a catalyst in various reactions, for example, in the production of acetic acid from methyl alcohol. And an alloy of rhodium with platinum is a very effective catalyst for the production of nitric acid by the oxidation of ammonia with air; there is no economically justified alternative to its use.
Also, rhodium detectors are used in nuclear reactors to measure neutron flux.
In the production of glass products (alloyplatinum-rhodium is used in the manufacture of dies for drawing glass filaments), as well as liquid crystal screens. In connection with the growth in the production of liquid crystal devices, the consumption of rhodium is growing rapidly: in 2003, 0.81 tons were used in glass production, in 2005 - 1.55 tons of rhodium.
Metallic rhodium is used to producemirrors for high-power laser systems subject to strong heating (for example, hydrogen fluoride lasers), as well as for the production of diffraction gratings for devices for the analysis of matter - spectrometers.
Platinum-rhodium alloy crucibles are used in laboratory research, as well as for the growth of certain gemstones and electro-optical crystals.
The largest producer of rhodium is the Republic of South Africa — it accounts for 80% of production. This precious metal is also mined in Zimbabwe, North America, Russia and other countries.
Palladium
Palladium - a chemical element with an atomic number46. Belongs to the 10th group of the periodic table of chemical elements (according to the obsolete short form of the periodic system, it belongs to a secondary subgroup of group VIII, or to group VIIIB), is in the fifth period of the table. The atomic mass of the element is 106.42 (1) amu. e. m. It is designated by the symbol Pd.
Author: Juri
The element belongs to transition metals and to the noble metals of the platinum group (light platinoids). The simple substance palladium under normal conditions is a silvery-white plastic metal.
- How much is?
Now the price of palladium is only growing and is 6,415 rubles per gram.
Palladium is the most expensive of the four main precious metals: gold, silver and platinum. It is less common than platinum and is used in large quantities in catalytic converters.
Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel is the world's largest palladium miner, producing 86 metric tons in 2019.
- How is it used?
Most palladium is needed in automotiveindustry. Like platinum, this metal is used in catalytic converters (catalysts), which convert harmful hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and other chemical compounds contained in exhaust gases into relatively harmless carbon monoxide and water vapor. In fact, palladium and platinum act like a sponge, absorbing hydrocarbons. Palladium is capable of absorbing exhaust emissions up to 900 times its own weight.
Platinum is used in catalysts for diesel vehicles, palladium in gasoline vehicles. Since the 1990s, the main demand in Europe has been for diesel - as more environmentally friendly.
Accordingly, platinum autocatalysts weremore in demand than palladium, which was reflected in the market price of metals: platinum cost about a thousand dollars per ounce, palladium - about two hundred.
Made from palladium and its alloysmedical instruments, parts of pacemakers, dentures. In some countries, a small amount of palladium is used to obtain cytostatic drugs - in the form of complex compounds, similar to cis-platinum. Beta-active palladium-103 is used for brachytherapy in the treatment of cancer.
The largest palladium deposit is located inRussia (Norilsk, Talnakh). Also known are deposits in the Transvaal (South Africa), Canada, Alaska, Australia, Colombia. Palladium supplies in the world in 2007 amounted to 267 tons (including Russia - 141 tons, South Africa - 86 tons, USA and Canada - 31 tons, other countries - 9 tons).
Gold
Gold (Au from the Latin Aurum) is an element of group 11, the sixth period of the periodic system of chemical elements, with atomic number 79. The simple substance gold is a noble metal of yellow color.
Part longevity, part tradition, gold -one of the most versatile products. Primarily used in jewelry, but also has important applications in electronics and aerospace due to its strength and conductivity. Simply put, gold is used everywhere.
- How is it used?
In the modern world, gold is used not onlyas a precious metal to provide currency and create high-value jewelry. Gold is also an important raw material that is used in many industrial sectors. At the same time, the demand for industrial gold is several hundred tons per year.
The main consumer of gold is electronicindustry using it in electronic components for computers and mobile phones. And according to forecasts, the consumption of gold by the electronic sector will only grow, this is due to the growth of the industry of electronic components.
Next, according to the consumption of gold, is dentistry,Many dentures and crowns contain gold, but the market for dental gold is, on the contrary, declining. This is due to the fact that now more reliable and modern materials are used, the quality of which is superior to gold products.
Author: Periodictableru — Own work (www.periodictable.ru), CC BY 3.0
In third place in the use of goldlocated in the chemical industry, gold is used to apply protective coatings on chemical equipment, which prevents the formation of corrosion. And also, in many chemical reactions, gold is used as a catalyst for substances.
In last place is the use of gold insmall industry and household consumption: applying protective coatings, gilding watch cases, making fabrics with gold threads, creating special types of glass, etc.
The use of gold is very extensive.Its applications include spacecraft engines, gold jewelry, any electronics, fabrics, glass, chemistry, medicine, and much more. Gold as a precious metal has retained its investment, industrial, jewelry and medical purposes for several millennia. This trend is unlikely to be interrupted in the future, the properties of the yellow metal will always be used by scientists, expanding the boundaries of its modern application.
- How much is?
Now the price of gold is 4,208 rubles per gram.
Of course, the stereotype of gold as prestigious andThe valuable metal did not arise out of nowhere. When Spanish explorers first traveled to the "New World" - America - they encountered an indigenous culture that lived completely different lives and spoke different languages. But both cultures had one thing in common; both valued gold highly. Almost every society has used gold as a currency and a symbol of wealth, prestige or power, and the modern world is no exception. Whether it's wedding rings, awards or even money, few substances occupy as important a place in our lives as gold.
Until the 1970s, South Africa was dominanta gold producer, but production has declined since then. At its peak in 1970, 32 million ounces of gold were produced on its territory, which amounted to two-thirds of the world's gold production. Today China, Australia and Russia are among the three leaders in gold mining.
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element of the 10th group, the 6th period of the periodic system of chemical elements, with atomic number 78; shiny noble metal of silvery-white color.
- How is it used?
Platinum is primarily used in catalytic converters for diesel vehicles - 45% of the platinum sold in 2014 went to the automotive industry.
Everyone knows that platinum is used forcreation of jewelry, because the metal is distinguished by high indicators of hardness and ductility. In addition, platinum items delight with their appearance: the silvery color and characteristic shine make jewelry very popular among buyers.
Until the middle of the last century, only a fewpercent of the extracted precious metal was allocated for the medical sector. But today the situation has changed and the demand for platinum is growing exponentially. This is most likely due to the development of research that revealed the advantages of platinum over other metals.
Today, platinum is needed in the following areas of life:
- space industry;
- medicine;
- electrical engineering;
- glass industry;
- manufacture of aircraft and ships;
- chemical industry.
Platinum has also been used in banking. This noble metal is the subject of investment: ingots are cast from it.
Platinum is needed whennitric acid productionIn this case, the element acts as aas a catalyst that accelerates reactions that are too slow.Otherwise, the production of the substances would be too expensive.
Also, the metal plays the role of a catalyst inoil refining. With its help, gasoline is obtained from oil. And if platinum is used in the form of a grid to create nitric acid, then a powder is made from it for use in oil processing. Of course, you can use other catalysts, for example, aluminum or molybdenum, but platinum is more durable and efficient.
Author: Periodictableru — Own work, CC BY 3.0
Uses of Platinum inelectrical engineeringThe material has a good conductivity and a decent thermal conductivity.Usually, platinum alloys are used to make contacts, and the combination of platinum with cobalt allowscreate powerful magnets.
Application of platinum inmedical industryThe fact is that there are simply no analogues of this material.Products made of other metals are not resistant to oxidation, so they are not suitable for such a reaction.
In the field, platinum instruments are sterilized in an alcohol torch flame.
Also, platinum is often used to createimplants for people with hearing impairments. In addition, it is believed that this material helps fight cancer. On the basis of this metal, many drugs are made that help people overcome oncology.
- How much is?
Now the price of gold is 2,827 rubles per gram.
Platinum has traditionally been sold at a higher price than gold, and combined with its rarity compared to gold, "platinum" as an adjective has come to be associated with a higher level of prestige than gold.Despite the problems with platinum and gold, which is now trading above it, this reputation remains.
In total, the world produces an average of about 2,500tons of gold per year. The largest amount of gold in the world is mined in South Africa. This is followed by China, Australia, USA, Peru, Russia (ranked sixth), Canada, Mali, Uzbekistan, Ghana. In 2010, more than 450 tons of gold were used for technical purposes in the world.
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