 Discovery Information
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| Who: Antonio de Ulloa and Don Jorge Juan y Santacilia |
| When: c1734 |
| Where: Peru |
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| Name Origin
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| Spanish: platina (little silver). |
| "Platinum" in different languages. |
|
| Sources
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| Produced from ores called native platinum. Primary producers are Russia, Canada, South Africa, Colombia and Peru. Annual production is around 30 tons. |
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| Abundance
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| Universe: 0.005 ppm (by weight) |
| Sun: 0.009 ppm (by weight) |
| Carbonaceous meteorite: 0.1 ppm |
| Earth's Crust: 0.0037 ppm |
| Seawater: |
| Atlantic surface: n/a ppm |
| Atlantic deep: n/a ppm |
| Pacific surface: 1.1 x 10-7 ppm
|
| Pacific deep: 2.7 x 10-7 ppm
|
|
| Uses
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| Used in jewellery, to make crucibles, special containers, as a catalyst (in catalytic converters fixed to cars), in dental crowns, as an anti-tumor agent and to make standard weights and measures.
It is also combined with cobalt to produce very strong magnets.
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|
| History
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| Naturally-occurring platinum and platinum-rich alloys have been known for a long time. Though the metal was used by pre-Columbian
Native Americans, the first European reference to platinum appears in 1557 in the writings of the Italian humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger (1484-1558) as a description of a mysterious metal found in Central American mines between Darien (Panama) and Mexico ("up until now impossible to melt by any of the Spanish arts"). The word platinum comes from the Spanish word platina, meaning
"little silver."
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| Platinum was discussed by astronomer Antonio de Ulloa and Don Jorge Juan y Santacilia (1713-1773), both appointed by King
Philip V to join a geographical expedition in Peru that lasted from 1735 to 1745. Among other things, Ulloa observed the platina del pinto, the unworkable metal found with
gold in New Granada (Colombia). British privateers intercepted Ulloa's ship on the return voyage. Though he was well-treated in England, and even made
a member of the Royal Society he was prevented from publishing a reference to the unknown metal until 1748. Before that could
happen Charles Wood independently isolated the element in 1741.
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|
| Notes
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| Discovered by astronomer Antonio de Ulloa and Don Jorge Juan y Santacilia during a geographical expedition in Peru that lasted from 1735 to 1745. Ulloa observed the unworkable metal found with gold in New Granada (Colombia). British privateers intercepted Ulloa's ship on the return voyage. Though he was well-treated in England, and even made
a member of the Royal Society he was prevented from publishing a reference to the unknown metal until 1748. It is thought
that Charles Wood independently isolated the element in 1741.
|
| The Italian humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger makes the first European reference to Platinum in 1557, as a description of a mysterious metal found in Central American
mines between Darien (Panama) and Mexico.
|
| Platinum is considered a precious metal and is traded on the world's commodities exchanges, it's price fluctuates with availability,
but is usually around twice that of gold.
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