Editing Platinum group (section)

==PGM minerals==
Typical ores for PGMs contain ca. 10 g PGM/ton ore, thus the identity of the particular mineral is unknown.<ref name="Bernardis">{{cite journal |last1=Bernardis |first1=F. L. |last2=Grant |first2=R. A. |last3=Sherrington |first3=D. C. |title=A review of methods of separation of the platinum-group metals through their chloro-complexes |journal=Reactive and Functional Polymers |year=2005 |volume=65 |issue= 3|pages=205–217 |doi=10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2005.05.011 |bibcode=2005RFPol..65..205B }}</ref>

===Platinum===
[[Platinum]] can occur as a native metal, but it can also occur in various different minerals and alloys.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=1401|title=Mineral Profile: Platinum|date=September 2009|website=British Geological Survey|access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mindat.org/chemsearch.php?inc=Pt|title=Search Minerals By Chemistry - Platinum|website=www.mindat.org|access-date=2018-02-08}}</ref> That said, [[Sperrylite]] (platinum [[arsenide]], PtAs<sub>2</sub>) [[ore]] is by far the most significant source of this metal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/detailed-rocks-and-minerals-articles/platinum|title=Platinum {{!}} Earth Sciences Museum {{!}} University of Waterloo|last=Feick|first=Kathy|website=University of Waterloo|date=28 February 2013 |access-date=6 February 2018}}</ref> A naturally occurring platinum-iridium alloy, platiniridium, is found in the [[mineral]] [[Cooperite (mineral)|cooperite]] (platinum [[sulfide]], PtS). Platinum in a native state, often accompanied by small amounts of other platinum metals, is found in [[alluvium|alluvial]] and [[placer deposit|placer]] deposits in [[Colombia]], [[Ontario]], the [[Ural Mountains]], and in certain western [[United States|American]] states. Platinum is also produced commercially as a by-product of [[nickel]] ore processing. The huge quantities of nickel ore processed makes up for the fact that platinum makes up only two parts per million of the ore. [[South Africa]], with vast platinum ore deposits in the [[Merensky Reef]] of the [[Bushveld igneous complex|Bushveld complex]], is the world's largest producer of platinum, followed by [[Russia]].<ref name="Xiao">{{cite journal |doi = 10.1016/j.mineng.2004.04.001 |journal = Minerals Engineering |volume = 17 |year = 2004 |pages = 961&ndash;979 |title =Characterizing and recovering the platinum group minerals—a review |first = Z. |last = Xiao |author2=Laplante, A. R.  |issue = 9–10|bibcode = 2004MiEng..17..961X }}</ref><ref name="Platinum-Geological_Survey">{{cite web |url=http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/platinum/platimcs07.pdf |title=Platinum&ndash;Group Metals |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries |date=January 2007 |access-date=2008-09-09}}</ref> Platinum and palladium are also mined commercially from the [[Stillwater igneous complex]] in Montana, USA. Leaders of primary platinum production are South Africa and Russia, followed by Canada, Zimbabwe and USA.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bardi |first1=Ugo |last2=Caporali |first2=Stefano |title=Precious Metals in Automotive Technology: An Unsolvable Depletion Problem? |journal=Minerals |date=2014 |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=388–398 |doi=10.3390/min4020388 |bibcode=2014Mine....4..388B |doi-access=free |hdl=2158/1086074 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

===Osmium===
[[Osmiridium]] is a naturally occurring alloy of iridium and osmium found in platinum-bearing river sands in the [[Ural Mountains]] and in [[North America|North]] and [[South America]]. Trace amounts of osmium also exist in nickel-bearing ores found in the [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]], [[Ontario]], region along with other platinum group metals. Even though the quantity of platinum metals found in these ores is small, the large volume of nickel ores processed makes commercial recovery possible.<ref name="Platinum-Geological_Survey"/><ref name="Emsley">{{cite book |title = Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements |last = Emsley |first=J. |publisher = Oxford University Press |year = 2003 |location = Oxford, England, UK |isbn = 0-19-850340-7 |chapter = Iridium |pages=201–204 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-Xu07p3cKwC&pg=PA202}}</ref>

===Iridium===
Metallic [[iridium]] is found with platinum and other platinum group metals in alluvial deposits.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.samaterials.com/5-common-uses-of-iridium.html |title=5 Common Uses of Iridium |last=Trento |first=Chin |date=May 9, 2024 |website=Stanford Advanced Materials |access-date=Oct 1, 2024}}</ref> Naturally occurring iridium alloys include [[osmiridium]] and [[Osmiridium|iridosmine]], both of which are mixtures of iridium and osmium. It is recovered commercially as a by-product from nickel mining and processing.<ref name="Platinum-Geological_Survey"/>

===Ruthenium===
[[Ruthenium]] is generally found in ores with the other platinum group metals in the Ural Mountains and in [[North America|North]] and [[South America]]. Small but commercially important quantities are also found in [[pentlandite]] extracted from [[Sudbury, Ontario]], and in [[pyroxenite]] deposits in [[South Africa]].<ref name="Platinum-Geological_Survey"/>

===Rhodium===
The industrial extraction of [[rhodium]] is complex, because it occurs in ores mixed with other metals such as palladium, [[silver]], platinum, and [[gold]]. It is found in platinum ores and obtained free as a white inert metal which is very difficult to fuse. Principal sources of this element are located in South Africa, Zimbabwe, in the river sands of the [[Ural Mountains]], North and South America, and also in the copper-nickel sulfide mining area of the [[Sudbury Basin]] region. Although the quantity at Sudbury is very small, the large amount of nickel ore processed makes rhodium recovery cost effective. However, the annual world production in 2003 of this element is only 7 or 8 [[ton]]s and there are very few rhodium minerals.<ref name="NRC">{{cite web |publisher = Natural Resources Canada |title = Platinum Group Metals |first = Patrick |last = Chevalier |url = http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mms-smm/busi-indu/cmy-amc/content/2004/71.pdf |access-date = 2008-10-17 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110811170221/http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mms-smm/busi-indu/cmy-amc/content/2004/71.pdf |archive-date = 2011-08-11 }}</ref>

===Palladium===
[[Palladium]] is preferentially hosted in sulfide minerals, primarily in [[pyrrhotite]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Palladium is found as a free metal and alloyed with platinum and gold with platinum group metals in [[placer mining|placer]] deposits of the [[Ural Mountains]] of [[Eurasia]], [[Australia]], [[Ethiopia]], [[South American|South]] and [[North America]]. However it is commercially produced from nickel-[[copper]] deposits found in [[South Africa]] and [[Ontario, Canada]]. The huge volume of nickel-copper ore processed makes this extraction profitable in spite of its low concentration in these ores.<ref name="NRC"/>