When asked what the most expensive metal is, the vast majority will naturally say that it is gold. In fact, its price is astronomical: today it is almost 1,800 euros per ounce (31.1 grams). And yet, Gold is not the most expensive metal in the worldEven though it’s in the top five. In the first row of the podium is a much less well-known element: rhodium.
It is currently the most expensive precious metal and also one of the rarest. At the time of this publication, the price of one ounce of rhodium was $4,100.. But just a few months ago, in December 2022, it reached $14,000 per ounce. Even so, it’s much more than gold.
Why is it so expensive? Rhodium does not react easily with oxygen, making it a noble metal and an excellent catalyst that resists both corrosion and oxidation. Her overall strength and high melting point of 1,964 degrees Celsius They place it among the metals of the platinum group, among platinum as well as palladium, osmium, iridium and ruthenium.
The most important feature of rhodium is its ability to withstand water and air temperatures up to 600 degrees and to remain insoluble in most acids. Versatile for use in automobiles, aircraft, electrical contacts, thermocouples and high temperature cablesReports the IFLS Science portal.
Despite its rarity and beauty, 2019 statistics show that almost 90 percent of rhodium demand comes from the jewelry industry. car catalysts A probably not-so-glamorous use of one of the rarest precious metals in the world in the production of catalytic converters.
A very rare metal in the world
It is an extremely rare metal: it is found in approx. 0.000037 parts per million in the Earth’s crustGold is abundant at about 0.0013 parts per million, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Where are the main deposits? This product It is mined mainly in South Africa and Russia.. But rhodium also occurs as a byproduct of refining copper and nickel ores, which contain up to 0.1 percent of this precious metal. Approximately 16 tons are produced annually. Rhodium has an estimated reserve of 3,000 tonnes on the planet.
An English chemist named William Hyde Wollanston was responsible for the discovery of this material; In 1803, he extracted this element from a piece of platinum found in South America. Wollaston had recently discovered palladium himself.
Rhodium, which is often found with platinum deposits, was obtained by removing platinum and palladium from the Wollaston sample, leaving a dark red powder that was treated with hydrogen gas to release the rhodium.
Although the solid metal shines a bright, reflective silvery white, rhodium derives its name from the Greek word “rhodon” for rose, referring to the red color of the metal salts.
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