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What
the name means:
Iridium derives from the Greek name for the
Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris.
Who
identified
iridium? In 1803,
Smithson Tennant and William Hyde
Wollaston’s attempt to purify platinum for
commercial purposes led them to identify
four new elements present in the platinum
ore – palladium, rhodium, iridium and
osmium.
In
order to purify platinum the two chemists
dissolved it in a mixture of concentrated
nitric acid and concentrated hydrochloric
acid in a 1:3 ratio (a mixture known as
aqua regia). There was a black residue
remaining after this process. They treated
the residue with acids and alkalis during a
complex series of reactions. This led them
to the identification of osmium. Tennant
continued the analysis and identified
iridium. The name for the new element was
chosen because iridium salts have different
colours.
About
iridium: Indium
is one of the rarest elements in the
Earth’s crust. It is a hard, silvery,
brittle metal that is very resistant to
corrosion – even more resistant than gold.
It is also capable of withstanding very
high temperatures. It is used in alloys to
harden other metals. |
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