Have you seen any ornament made of white gold? White gold jewellery is supposed to be more expensive than regular gold ornaments because of the presence of an expensive element called palladium. Shiny and silvery, the element palladium is what gives white gold its colour.
Palladium is a crucial component of fuel cells and catalytic converters. It is a very rare element, rarer than gold or platinum. The element is malleable and doesn’t tarnish in air, as it does not react with oxygen. These qualities make it a popular metal for jewellery. Hydrogen gas can filter through it, so palladium is used to remove hydrocarbons from fuels.
Palladium was discovered in 1803. The metal was first isolated by William Hyde Wollaston, an English chemist. Palladium gets its name from the asteroid 2 Pallas, the second-largest asteroid in the asteroid belt, which had just been discovered in 1802. The asteroid itself was named after the ancient Greek goddess Pallas Athena.
Palladium is found only in rare minerals. The only palladium mine in the United States is the Stillwater Mine in Montana; other mines are in Canada, South Africa and Russia. Russia is the world’s largest palladium producer.
The atomic number of palladium is 46, and its atomic symbol is Pd.
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