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Periodic Table of Elements

Element Platinum – Pt

Comprehensive data on the chemical element Platinum is provided on this page; including scores of properties, element names in many languages, most known nuclides of Platinum. Common chemical compounds are also provided for many elements. In addition technical terms are linked to their definitions and the menu contains links to related articles that are a great aid in one's studies.

Platinum Menu

Overview of Platinum

Platinum's Name in Other Languages

  • Latin: Platinum
  • Czech: Platina
  • Croatian: Platina
  • French: Platine
  • German: Platin - e
  • Italian: Platino
  • Norwegian: Platina
  • Portuguese: Platina
  • Russian: Платина
  • Spanish: Platino
  • Swedish: Platina

Atomic Structure of Platinum

Chemical Properties of Platinum

Physical Properties of Platinum

Regulatory / Health

  • CAS Number
    • 7440-06-4
  • RTECS: TP2160000
  • OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)
    • No limits set by OSHA
  • OSHA PEL Vacated 1989
  • NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limit (REL)
  • Routes of Exposure: Inhalation; Ingestion; Skin and/or eye contact
  • Target Organs: Eyes, skin, respiratory system
  • Levels In Humans:
    Note: this data represents naturally occuring levels of elements in the typical human, it DOES NOT represent recommended daily allowances.
    • Blood/mg dm-3: n/a
    • Bone/p.p.m: n/a
    • Liver/p.p.m: n/a
    • Muscle/p.p.m: n/a
    • Daily Dietary Intake: n/a
    • Total Mass In Avg. 70kg human: n/a

Who / Where / When / How

  • Discoverer: Known to pre-Columbian South Americans. Taken to Europe around 1750
  • Discovery Location: South America
  • Discovery Year: Unknown
  • Name Origin:
    Spanish: platina (little silver).
  • Abundance of Platinum:
    • Earth's Crust/p.p.m.: 0.001
    • Seawater/p.p.m.:
      • Atlantic Suface: N/A
      • Atlantic Deep: N/A
      • Pacific Surface: 1.1E-07
      • Pacific Deep: 2.7E-07
    • Atmosphere/p.p.m.: N/A
    • Sun (Relative to H=1E12): 56.2
  • Sources of Platinum:
    Produced from platinum ore or native platinum deposits. Primary mining areas are Urals in Russia, Canada, South Africa Columbia and Peru. Annual world wide production is around 30 tons.
  • Uses of Platinum:
    Used in jewelry, to make crucibles, special containers, as a catalyst, in dental crowns, as an anti-tumor agent and to make standard weights and measures. It is also combined with cobalt to produce very strong magnets.
  • Additional Notes:
    Some sources attribute the discovery of platinum to Antonio de Ulloa of Spain in 1735 or Wood in 1741, however, it had been known to and used by the pre-Columbian Indians in South America long before that time. For this reason we have opted to credit the first users of platinum with the discovery, not the European explorers/scientists that "rediscovered" it and brought it to Europe.

Platinum Menu

References

A list of reference sources used to compile the data provided on our periodic table of elements can be found on the main periodic table page.

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