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Platinum
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{{About|the chemical element}} {{Distinguish|Palladium}} {{Good article}} {{pp-move}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox platinum}} '''Platinum''' is a [[chemical element]]; it has [[Symbol (chemistry)|symbol]] '''Pt''' and [[atomic number]] 78. It is a [[density|dense]], [[malleable]], [[ductility|ductile]], highly unreactive, [[precious metal|precious]], silverish-white [[transition metal]]. Its name originates from [[Spanish language|Spanish]] {{lang|es|platina}}<!--NOT PLATINO, even though that is the word for platinum in today's Spanish-->, a [[diminutive]] of {{lang|es|plata}} "silver".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/464081/platinum-Pt|title=platinum (Pt)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405132703/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/464081/platinum-Pt|archive-date=5 April 2012|website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica Inc.|date=2012|access-date=24 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{OEtymD|platinum}}</ref><!--source for "platina del Pinto"<ref>{{cite book|last=Woods|first=Ian|title=The Elements: Platinum|publisher=Benchmark Books|year=2004|series=The Elements|isbn=978-0-7614-1550-3}}</ref>--> Platinum is a member of the [[platinum group]] of elements and [[group 10 element|group 10]] of the [[periodic table of elements]]. It has six naturally occurring [[isotopes]]. It is one of the [[Abundance of elements in Earth's crust|rarer elements in Earth's crust]], with an average abundance of approximately 5 [[microgram|μg]]/kg, making platinum about 30 times rarer than gold.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Garrett |date=2024-08-02 |title=7 Fun Facts about Platinum |url=https://www.garfieldrefining.com/resources/blog/3-fun-facts-about-platinum/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=Garfield Refining |language=en-US}}</ref> It occurs in some [[nickel]] and [[copper]] ores along with some [[Native element mineral|native]] deposits, with 90% of current production from deposits across Russia's [[Ural Mountains]], [[Colombia]], the [[Sudbury Basin|Sudbury basin]] of [[Canada]], and a large reserve in [[South Africa]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sicius |first=Hermann |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-3-662-68921-9 |title=Handbook of the Chemical Elements |date=2024 |publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-662-68920-2 |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-662-68921-9}}</ref>{{rp|779}} Because of its scarcity in Earth's crust, only a few hundred [[tonne]]s are produced annually, and given its important uses, it is highly valuable as well as a major [[List of traded commodities#Metals|precious metal commodity]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-platinum-price/currency-shocks-knock-platinum-to-10-year-lows-idUKKBN1L219X|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817141325/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-platinum-price/currency-shocks-knock-platinum-to-10-year-lows-idUKKBN1L219X|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 August 2018|title=Currency shocks knock platinum to 10-year lows|last=Hobson|first=Peter|work=Reuters|access-date=2018-08-20|language=en}}</ref> Platinum is one of the [[Reactivity series|least reactive metals]]. It has remarkable resistance to [[corrosion]], even at high temperatures, and is therefore considered a [[noble metal]]. Consequently, platinum is often found chemically uncombined as native platinum. Because it occurs naturally in the [[alluvium|alluvial sands]] of various rivers, it was first used by [[pre-Columbian]] [[Indigenous peoples of South America|South American natives]] to produce artifacts. It was referenced in European writings as early as the 16th century, but it was not until [[Antonio de Ulloa]] published a report on a new metal of [[Colombia]]n origin in 1748 that it began to be investigated by scientists. Platinum is used in [[catalytic converter]]s, laboratory equipment, [[electric]]al contacts and [[electrode]]s, [[platinum resistance thermometer]]s, [[dentistry]] equipment, and jewelry. Platinum is used in the glass industry<ref>{{cite journal |title=Platinum in the Glass Industry |url=http://www.technology.matthey.com/article/4/1/2-9/ |journal=Platinum Metals Review|date=1960 |doi=10.1595/003214060X4129 |last1=Preston |first1=Eric |volume=4 |pages=2–9 }}</ref> to manipulate molten glass, which does not "[[Wetting|wet]]" platinum. Elemental platinum has not been linked to adverse health effects. Compounds containing platinum, such as [[cisplatin]], [[oxaliplatin]] and [[carboplatin]], are applied in [[chemotherapy]] against certain types of cancer.<ref>{{cite journal | pmid = 20593091 | date = 2010 | last1 = Wheate | first1 = N. J. | last2 = Walker | first2 = S. | last3 = Craig | first3 = G. E. | last4 = Oun | first4 = R. | title = The status of platinum anticancer drugs in the clinic and in clinical trials | volume = 39 | issue = 35 | pages = 8113–27 | doi = 10.1039/C0DT00292E | journal = Dalton Transactions| url = https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/9269/2/41%20Dalton%20perspective.pdf | hdl = 2123/14271 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>
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