Platinum is one of the rarest metals in the world, making it sought after and useful in a variety of industries including the medical and dental fields, jewelry making, and electronics. Despite how difficult it can be to work with and its high-melting point, platinum remains a popular precious metal worldwide.
Origins of Platinum
Platinum was used by ancient people in Egypt and Central America, often in jewelry and mixed with gold. The earliest known reference to platinum occurred in 1557, when an Italian doctor named Julius Scaliger named it “platino” or “little silver”. He found it interesting that no matter what he did, he could not get platinum to melt.
For 200 years platinum remained unmeltable and really wasn’t used much because of this. But, in the early 1800’s, two British chemists developed a method to purify platinum by dissolving it in a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids, known as “aqua regia”. This allowed platinum to be separated from the other metals that are often found with it, such as palladium and iridium, among others.
Platinum is resistant to corrosion and its high melting point makes it a valuable option for a wider range of applications than other softer metals like silver and gold which can’t stand up to extreme conditions.
The five most common uses of platinum include the following:
- Jewelry
- Dental work
- Sustainable energy
- Electronics
- Medicine
Jewelry
When early Europeans arrived in South America, they discovered that the ancient people had been using platinum in the creation of their jewelry. That continues today, with approximately 40% of the available platinum in the world being used to create some of the most durable and beautiful jewelry you can find.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission states that for platinum to be labeled as such in the U.S., it must not contain less than 50% pure platinum and most platinum jewelry is 85-95% pure. Platinum is naturally hypoallergenic and is not only shiny, but strong, making it a popular metal for mounting stones.
Dental Work
The mouth is an extreme place, between the acidity of our saliva, the repeated chewing, and the various foods we eat and drink over a lifetime, it can be easy to see why many metals just can’t stand up to those conditions
Platinum, with its durability and resistance to corrosion, makes it a popular choice for dental work, including fillings, crowns, and bridges. The platinum is usually mixed with other alloys–such as gold, silver, copper, or zinc–to make it more malleable.
Sustainable Energy
As we move towards more environmentally friendly lifestyles, we strive to find products and processes that will be more sustainable and “green”. One way to make that happen is to improve what we use everyday, including sustainable energy.
Hydrogen fuel cells use platinum to improve their efficiency and is a vital element in catalytic converters, which reduces pollution by decreasing the toxicity of car exhaust.
Electronics
Computers are another product that uses precious metals in their hard drives. Because these metals are conductive and resistant to corrosion and high heat, gold, silver, palladium, copper, and platinum remain an important part in the building of computers.
One issue with metals being used in the electronics industry is how to reclaim the precious metals before they are thrown out in landfills. Electronics recycling programs will take these items and recycle the metals that are used instead of them being wasted by being thrown away.
Medicine
Chemotherapy helps many people to beat cancer every year. Platinum-based chemotherapy has become a game-changer in the medical world, especially when combined with ruthenium. Ruthenium gathers light, transfers the energy to platinum, which then binds to the patient’s DNA.
Platinum also helps to reduce the unwanted side-effects and toxicity that often accompany this treatment in other areas of the body.
Final Thoughts on Platinum and It’s Uses
There is no doubt that platinum is a gorgeous and durable metal that continues to stand the test of time. But, besides being beautiful and expensive, platinum has other uses and has become valuable in more ways than just pretty jewelry, including medicine, electronics, and sustainable energy for its durability, resistance to corrosion, and high melting point.