Platinum, a highly valued and desired metal, has a wide range of uses,
including jewelry, catalytic converters, electrical contacts,
pacemakers, drugs and magnets. Because it is rare — there are only about
5 parts per billion by weight in Earth's crust, according to Chemicool — platinum tends to be very pricey, as anyone looking to buy a platinum wedding ring might discover.
Platinum is a silver-white metal — it was once known as "white gold."
It is extremely resistant to tarnishing and corrosion (which makes it
known as a "noble metal") and is very soft and malleable, making it easy
to shape; ductile, making it easy to stretch into wire; and unreactive,
which means it doesn't oxidize and is unaffected by common acids.
Platinum is one of the transition metals,
a group that includes gold, silver, copper and titanium — and most of
the elements in the middle of the periodic table. The atomic structure
of these metals means they can bond easily with other elements.
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It is also one of the densest elements at 12.4 ounces per cubic inch
(21.45 grams per cubic centimeter), a little more than 21 times the
density of water or 6 times the density of a diamond according to Chemicool. These properties lead to many uses for this very rare and precious metal.
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