Pt - Platinum

Atomic Number: 78 Period Number: 6 Group Number: 10

Platinum is a precious, soft and gray-white transition metal. It is always found in the combination of nickel and copper. Sperrylite is the major source of platinum ores. There are six isotopes of platinum: ¹⁹⁰Pt, ¹⁹²Pt, ¹⁹⁴Pt, ¹⁹⁵Pt, ¹⁹⁶Pt and ¹⁹⁸Pt. The most abundant one --¹⁹⁵Pt -- occupies 33.83% of the total amount.

Platinum is very stable and cannot react with other elements easily. It is widely used in catalysts, jewellery, fuel cells, etc. Platinum is used to coat missile nose cones, jet engine fuel nozzles and other devices that must operate reliably for long periods of time at high temperatures. Platinum resistance wires are used in high temperature electric furnaces. Platinum anodes are used in cathodic protection systems to prevent ships, pipelines and steel piers from corroding in salt water. Platinum is widely used as a catalyst for chemical reactions. The most important use of platinum is in vehicles, as a catalytic converter, facilitating the complete combustion of unburned hydrocarbon passing through the exhaust.

Hexachloroplantinic acid is a very important platinum compound, which serves the area of plating, zinc etching, photography, mirrors and as a catalyst.

Physical and Chemical properties:

Atomic Weight: 195.084

Melting Point: 2041.55 K

Boiling Point: 4098 K

Density: 21.46 g/cm³

Phase at Room Temperature: Solid

Ionization Energy: 9.0 eV

Oxidation States: +4, +2