It is extremely rare and is mainly used in the manufacture of automotive components.
When asked what the most expensive metal is, the vast majority would answer that it is gold, naturally. In fact, its price is astronomical: almost 1,800 euros per ounce (31.1 grams) today. And yet, gold is not the most expensive metal in the world, even if it is among the top five. The first place on the podium is occupied by a much less known element: the rhodium.
It is currently the most expensive precious metal and also one of the rarest. The price of an ounce of rhodium stands at $4,200 at the time of this publication.. But just a few months ago, in December 2022, it had reached $14,000 per ounce. Be that as it may, much more than gold.
Why is very expensive? Rhodium does not react easily with oxygen, making it a noble metal and is a perfect catalyst, resistant to both corrosion and oxidation. His overall strength and its high melting point of 1,964 degrees Celsius They place it among the metals of the platinum group, along with platinum itself, as well as palladium, osmium, iridium and ruthenium.
rhodium ingots
| Agencies
Its ability to withstand water and air temperatures of up to 600 degrees and to remain insoluble in most acids, makes rhodium very versatile for use in automobiles, airplanes, electrical contacts and thermocouples and high temperature resistance cablesinforms the portal IFLS Science.
Despite its rarity and beauty, 2019 statistics show that almost 90 percent of rhodium demand came from the jewelry sector. car catalysts in the production of catalytic converters, a possibly unglamorous use for one of the rarest precious metals on Earth.
A very rare metal on Earth
It is an extremely rare metal: it is found in approximately 0.000037 parts per million in the Earth’s crustwhile gold is found in an abundance of around 0.0013 parts per million, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Where are the main deposits? This item It is mainly mined in South Africa and Russia. However, rhodium also appears as a byproduct of the refining of copper and nickel ores, which contain up to 0.1 percent of this precious metal. About 16 tons are produced annually. of rhodium, with an estimated reserve of 3,000 tons on the planet.
Rhodium, in its natural state
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A British chemist named William Hyde Wollanston was responsible for the discovery of this material, when in 1803 he extracted this element from a piece of platinum found in South America. Wollaston himself had recently discovered palladium.
Rhodium, which is usually found along with platinum deposits, was obtained from the Wollaston sample by removing the platinum and palladium, leaving a dark red powder that was treated with hydrogen gas to expose the rhodium.
Although the solid metal shines a bright, reflective silvery white, rhodium gets its name from the Greek “rhodon,” meaning rose, alluding to the red color of the metal’s salts.
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