The platinum is a dense, malleable, and ductile element that is of rare occurrence in nature. It is precious, gray-white transition metal that is resistant to corrosion. In nature, it occurs in some nickel and copper ores in addition to various native deposits. It is widely used in jewellery, laboratory equipment, platinum resistance thermometers, electrical contacts and electrodes, dentistry equipment, as well as catalytic converters.
One of the major applications of platinum is its usage as a catalyst in chemical reactions. In automobiles, it is used as a catalytic converter that permits the entire combustion of low cons of unburned hydrocarbon from the exhaust into CO2 and water vapour. It is also used as a catalyst in the petroleum industry in many processes. PtO2 or Adams’ catalyst is used as a hydrogenation catalyst for vegetable oils. Platinum is used as a Standard for various measurements. The length of a platinum-iridium (90:10) alloy bar is used to define meter from 1889 to 1960 and it is also known as the International Prototype Meter bar. A cylinder of the platinum-iridium alloy made in 1879 is used to define the International Prototype Kilogram.
Platinum is a precious metal commodity and its coins, bars, and ingots are used in trading. Platinum is an inert element and shines well therefore; it is used in jewellery as a 90-95% alloy. It is also used in watch-making with Patek Philippe, Rolex, and other companies are using it for producing watches for their limited edition watch series. The platinum wire is used for electrodes in the laboratory. The platinum pans are used for thermo-gravimetric analysis and it is used as an alloying agent for different metal products like fine wires, medical instruments, dental prostheses, noncorrosive laboratory containers, electrical contacts, as well as thermocouples. The permanent string magnets are made from the alloy of platinum-cobalt. Platinum-based anodes are widely applied in steel piers, ships, and pipelines.
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