What is palladium?

smprfi

???

LucyBop

Isn't this a rarer metal then Platnum?



(gosh I wish this had a spell checker)

LucyBop

Palladium is one of the platinum group metals (PGMs), a group of rare precious metals consisting of platinum, palladium, osmium, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium. These metals are distinguished by their superior conductivity and ductility, resistance to oxidation and corrosion, their strength and durability, strong catalytic properties and high melting points. The melting point of palladium is 1,554 degrees Celsius.

Palladium is used in a variety of industries. The largest and fastest growing application is in the production of automobile catalytic converters, which help to reduce emissions that are harmful to the environment. In 2000, the automobile industry accounted for nearly 61% of palladium demand, followed by electronics (24%), and dentistry (9%). The electronics industry uses palladium in the production of components for personal computers, cellular telephones, fax machines and other electronically controlled devices. Palladium is also used in dental alloys, in jewellery and in the chemical industry.


Found this on the web......

keets

..........Palladium is the 6th song on the album Heavy Weather by "Weather Report".

al h.

littlewicher

With the modern day electronics rage, and a limited supply of these resources, do you think that these metals would be a good investment? (Anyone can answer.)

LucyBop

Palladium is also the name of a Neo Rockabilly group!

MastaHanky

It's also a theater in Los Angeles.

About a year ago, there was a guy selling a 100-oz bar of Palladium on eBay...for $40,000.

Mrpawn

The price of palladium is volitile. If you like rollor coaster rides then go for it if not avoid it. IMHO

Jr

cladking

Palladium has just come down from more than $1000 / troy oz. It is a very rare
metal but has very few applications where one of the other PGM's can't be sus-
stituted. Historically it was about half the price of platinum. It is one of the high-
tech metals and could grow in importance as time goes by.

ccr

Russia is by far the number one mining producers of Platinum and Canada I think is second. As a general rule, if you find nickel, you have a chance of finding Platinum. Platinum is the purest of all and as LucyBop pointed out is very important in industry. All of the derivitaves of Platinum that she pointed out are naturally occuring metals that have in one degree are another is found already combined with Nickel. Hence if you find Nickel in your mines, it just may be worth your while to look for Platinum. So Palladium is a combination of Platinum and Nickel and naturally occurs that way.

cointoast

I hear the US mint is going to release a palladium SAC stamped out of used catalytic converters for "collectors" only....

The real drag is that it won't tone until heated to 1,500 degrees Celsius.

remumc

Palladium is an element, #46 on the periodic table of elements. It is not a compound, and is not a combination or mixture of platnium (Pt element #78) and Nickel (Ni element #28)

The essentials
Name: palladium
Symbol: Pd
Atomic number: 46
Atomic weight: 106.42 (1) g


Here is a brief description of palladium.

Standard state: solid at 298 K
Colour: silvery white metallic
Classification: Metallic
Availability: palladium is available in many forms including wire, foil, "evaporation slugs", granule, powder, rod, shot, sheet, and sponge. Small and large samples of palladium foil, sheet, and wire can be purchased from Advent Research Materials via their web catalogue.

Palladium is a steel-white metal, does not tarnish in air, and is the least dense and lowest melting of the platinum group metals. When annealed, it is soft and ductile. Cold working increases its strength and hardness. It is used in some watch springs.

Brinell hardness [/MN m-2]: 37.3

Electrical resistivity [/10-8 W m; or mW cm]: 10

Melting point [/K]: 1828.05 [or 1554.9 °C (2830.82 °F)]

Boiling point [/K]: 3236 [or 2963 °C (5365 °F)] (liquid range: 1407.95 K)

At room temperatures the metal has the unusual property of absorbing up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen. Hydrogen readily diffuses through heated palladium and this provides a means of purifying the gas.

The industrial extraction of palladium is complex as the metal occurs in ores mixed with other metals such as platinum. Sometimes extraction of the precious metals such as platinum and palladium is the main focus of a partiular industrial operation while in other cases it is a byproduct. The extraction is complex and only worthwhile since palladium is the basis of important catalysts in industry.



You can learn more about the metallic elements and the periodic table at this link

Wayne

ccr

remumc - After lookiing around, I admit your right about it being an extraction of Platinum. I still believe that, at least in Russia, Platnium and Nickel mines are sometimes very close to each other.

Twowood

It used to be a ballroom in London. Twowood

CharlieB

Question Remumc:
Nice summation of the element. I considered
some Palladium bars once at a coin show at very
cheap prices but bought Platinum instead. Sounds
like I could have done even better with this element.
Does Palladium have any significant use in the nuclear industry?

presleyh

all metals are commodities. the price varies wildly sometimes based on nothing more than government changes and rumors of hoarding. If you bought gold at 750.00 an ounce back in the 70s or silver when the hunt brothers were hoarding at 18.00 an ounce you are still waiting to cash in big. You better know when to hold em and know when to fold em if you trade in metals.