1
Platinum is the only material suitable for the electrodes required in the 600 000 heart pacemakers which are implanted each year.
Platinum Facts
Rarer than gold, platinum is renowned as both a precious and industrial metal due to its unique chemical and physical properties. Here we introduce platinum’s key attributes and some of its highly-diverse uses.
2
At 1,768°C (3,215°F) platinum’s melting point is considerably higher than that of gold, 1,063°C (1,945°F).
3
Typically 95% pure, platinum is one of the purest precious metals.
4
Platinum is the least reactive metal known to man.
5
For almost fifty years platinum has played a critical role in controlling harmful vehicle emissions. Today, platinum catalysts are at the forefront of hydrogen-related technologies that are enabling the energy transition.
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All the platinum ever produced would only cover your ankles in one Olympic sized swimming pool. All the gold ever produced would fill three Olympic sized swimming pools.
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The science agency for the United States (US) government’s Department of the Interior includes platinum on its list of 50 mineral commodities deemed critical to the US economy and national security.
8
Twice as much steel is poured in the United States in only one day than the total world's platinum production in one year.
9
One gram of platinum can be stretched into a wire that is over 2,000 meters (over a mile) long.
10
The renowned Tiffany® Setting was developed in 1886. Its instantly recognisable six platinum prongs provide the security required for diamonds, while lifting them off the band into the light for maximum lustre. Today, versions of this setting are fabricated by jewellers worldwide.
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Platinum is very ductile, meaning it can be pounded into a sheet which is as thin as 100 atoms.
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Platinum is one of the heaviest metals. A six-inch cube of platinum weighs as much as an average human being.
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Platinum was first used for coins in Russia in 1828.
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Pure platinum’s density is 21.45 grams per cubic centimetre, making it one of the densest elements.
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The world's largest deposit of platinum is in the Merensky Reef in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa.