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What
the name means:
When the Spanish conquistadors moved
through South America they sent samples of
an unknown metal back to Spain. This metal
was being used in jewellery by the native
peoples. In 1748, Spaniard, Antonio de
Ulloa named the metal platina, meaning
“like silver”.
Who
identified
platinum?
Platinum had been used by the native
peoples of South America long before the
Spanish arrived. In 1750, William Brownrigg
isolated a reasonably pure form of the
metal.
In
1800, William Hyde Wollaston and Smithson
Tennant decided to investigate a way of
purifying platinum metal to exploit its
commercial value. During the process they
obtained a black residue that, at first,
they discarded. Eventually this waste
allowed them to identify four new elements!
About
platinum:
Platinum is a very rare metal which is why
it is used in expensive jewellery and
commemoration objects, such as platinum
discs awarded to record-breaking recording
artists. It is a silvery-looking metal that
is extremely resistant to corrosion.
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