What Is Palladium?

1. 66

   PhoenixVposted 10 years ago

   What Is Palladium?
   
   What is palladium exactly? Why is it bought and sold as bullion? Where is it mined or where does it come from? What is palladium used for?

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2. 71

   connorjposted 10 years ago

   
   
   Palladium is a chemical element with symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired by her when she slew Pallas. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs). These have similar chemical properties, but palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of them all.
   Over half of the supply of palladium and its congener platinum goes into catalytic converters, which convert up to 90% of harmful gases from auto exhaust (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide) into less-harmful substances (nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor). Palladium is also used in electronics, dentistry, medicine, hydrogen purification, chemical applications, groundwater treatment and jewelry. Palladium plays a key role in the technology used for fuel cells, which combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, heat, and water.
   The most extensive deposits have been found in the norite belt of the Bushveld Igneous Complex covering the Transvaal Basin in South Africa, the Stillwater Complex in Montana, United States, the Thunder Bay District of Ontario, Canada, and the Norilsk Complex in Russia. Recycling is also a source of palladium, mostly from scrapped catalytic converters. The numerous applications and limited supply sources of palladium result in the metal attracting considerable Attention.
   Most interesting is that, Russia isthe top producer of palladium, with a 44% world share, followed by South Africa with 40%. Canada with 6% and the U.S. with 5%.
   Palladium can be found as a free metal alloyed with gold and other platinum-group metals in placer deposits of the Ural Mountains, Australia, Ethiopia, North and South America. For the production of palladium these deposits play only a minor role. The most important commercial sources are nickel-copper deposits found in the Sudbury Basin, Ontario, and the Norilsk–Talnakh deposits in Siberia. The other large deposit is the Merensky Reef platinum group metals deposit within the Bushveld Igneous Complex South Africa. The Stillwater igneous complex of Montana and the Roby zone ore body of the Lac des Îles igneous complex of Ontario are the two other sources of palladium in Canada and the United States.
   Most interestingly, Palladium is also produced in nuclear fission reactors and can be extracted from spent nuclear fuel (see synthesis of precious metals) though this source for palladium is not used. None of the existing nuclear reprocessing facilities are equipped to extract palladium from the high-level radioactive waste.
   It would be in Russia's best interest to have it replace gold as the standard for world trade.

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3. 69

   Dr Pran Ranganposted 10 years ago

   Palladium is a rare silvery white metal belonging to the platinum group of metals. It is used to make designer jewellery, which is alluringly attractive. It is mainly produced in Russia and other countries producing it are South Africa, Canada and the US. It is found as free metal with gold and other platinum group of metals.
   
   It is used in chemical catalysis, electronics, technology, dentistry, surgical instruments and photography apart from jewellery.

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