Independent examination Volgograd. Precious metal palladium What kind of metal is palladium

/mol (eV)

Thermodynamic properties of a simple substance Density (at normal conditions) Melting temperature Boiling temperature Ud. heat of fusion

17.24 kJ/mol

Ud. heat of vaporization

372.4 kJ/mol

Molar heat capacity Crystal lattice of a simple substance Lattice structure

cubic
face-centered

Lattice parameters Debye temperature Other characteristics Thermal conductivity

(300 K) 71.8 W/(mK)

Story

Physical properties

Palladium is plastic; microadditives of nickel, cobalt, rhodium or ruthenium improve the mechanical properties of Pd and increase hardness.

Basic physical and mechanical properties of palladium:

Palladium chloride is used as a catalyst and for the detection of trace amounts of carbon monoxide in air or gas mixtures.

Hydrogen purification

• Since hydrogen diffuses very well through palladium, palladium is used for deep purification of hydrogen. Palladium is also capable of extremely efficient reversible storage of hydrogen. To save expensive palladium in the production of membranes for hydrogen purification and separation of hydrogen isotopes, alloys of palladium with other metals have been developed (the most efficient and economical alloy of palladium with yttrium).

Electroplating

In jewelry and coinage

In medicine

• Medical instruments, parts of pacemakers, and dentures are made from palladium and its alloys;
• In some countries, a small amount of palladium is used to obtain cytotoxic drugs - in the form of complex compounds, similar to cis-platinum.

Other uses of palladium

• For the manufacture of special chemical glassware, corrosion-resistant parts of high-precision measuring instruments, precision mechanical instruments;
• A certain amount of palladium is consumed for the manufacture of chemical equipment for the production of hydrofluoric acid (vessels, distillation cubes, pump parts, retorts);
• Palladium coatings are used on electrical contacts to prevent sparking;

Production and consumption indicators

The largest palladium deposit is located in Russia (Norilsk, Talnakh). Deposits are also known in the Transvaal (Africa), Canada, Alaska, Australia, and Colombia.

Supplies of palladium in the world in 2007 amounted to 267 tons (including Russia - 141 tons, South Africa - 86 tons, USA and Canada - 31 tons, other countries - 9 tons). Palladium consumption in 2007 was 107 tons in the automotive industry, 40 tons in the electronics industry, and 12 tons in the chemical industry.

According to the London research company GFMS, in 2009 the Russian Federation sold approximately 1.1 million ounces of palladium, in 2010-800 thousand ounces, in 2011 the export volume will be similar.

see also

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Notes

Literature

• Journal of the Russian Chemical Society named after. D.I.Mendeleev No. 4 (2006) Palladium: chemistry, technology and application. ; covers numerous issues in the production and use of palladium

Links

Periodic table of chemical elements by D. I. Mendeleev
																								Pd
																											Uut		Uup		Uus	Uuo
see also

Excerpt characterizing Palladium

During the first time of his stay in St. Petersburg, Prince Andrei felt his entire mindset, developed in his solitary life, completely obscured by those petty worries that gripped him in St. Petersburg.
In the evening, returning home, he wrote down in a memory book 4 or 5 necessary visits or rendez vous [meetings] at the appointed hours. The mechanism of life, the order of the day in such a way as to be everywhere on time, took up a large share of the energy of life itself. He did nothing, didn’t even think about anything and didn’t have time to think, but only spoke and successfully said what he had previously thought about in the village.
He sometimes noticed with displeasure that he happened to repeat the same thing on the same day, in different societies. But he was so busy all day that he didn’t have time to think about the fact that he didn’t think anything.
Speransky, both on his first meeting with him at Kochubey’s, and then in the middle of the house, where Speransky, face to face, having received Bolkonsky, spoke with him for a long time and trustingly, made a strong impression on Prince Andrei.
Prince Andrei considered such a huge number of people to be despicable and insignificant creatures, he so wanted to find in another the living ideal of the perfection for which he was striving, that he easily believed that in Speransky he found this ideal of a completely reasonable and virtuous person. If Speransky had been from the same society from which Prince Andrei was, the same upbringing and moral habits, then Bolkonsky would soon have found his weak, human, non-heroic sides, but now this logical mindset, strange to him, inspired him with respect all the more that he did not quite understand it. In addition, Speransky, either because he appreciated the abilities of Prince Andrei, or because he found it necessary to acquire him for himself, Speransky flirted with Prince Andrei with his impartial, calm mind and flattered Prince Andrei with that subtle flattery, combined with arrogance, which consists in silent recognition his interlocutor with himself, together with the only person capable of understanding all the stupidity of everyone else, and the rationality and depth of his thoughts.
During their long conversation on Wednesday evening, Speransky said more than once: “We look at everything that comes out of the general level of inveterate habit...” or with a smile: “But we want the wolves to be fed and the sheep to be safe...” or : “They can’t understand this...” and all with an expression that said: “We: you and I, we understand what they are and who we are.”
This first, long conversation with Speransky only strengthened in Prince Andrei the feeling with which he saw Speransky for the first time. He saw in him a reasonable, strictly thinking, enormously intelligent man who had achieved power with energy and perseverance and used it only for the good of Russia. Speransky, in the eyes of Prince Andrei, was precisely that person who rationally explains all the phenomena of life, recognizes as valid only what is reasonable, and knows how to apply to everything the standard of rationality, which he himself so wanted to be. Everything seemed so simple and clear in Speransky’s presentation that Prince Andrei involuntarily agreed with him in everything. If he objected and argued, it was only because he deliberately wanted to be independent and not completely submit to Speransky’s opinions. Everything was so, everything was good, but one thing embarrassed Prince Andrei: it was Speransky’s cold, mirror-like gaze, which did not let into his soul, and his white, tender hand, which Prince Andrei involuntarily looked at, as they usually look at people’s hands, having power. For some reason this mirror look and this gentle hand irritated Prince Andrei. Prince Andrei was unpleasantly struck by the too much contempt for people that he noticed in Speransky, and the variety of methods in the evidence that he cited to support his opinions. He used all possible instruments of thought, excluding comparisons, and too boldly, as it seemed to Prince Andrei, he moved from one to another. Either he became a practical activist and condemned dreamers, then he became a satirist and ironically laughed at his opponents, then he became strictly logical, then he suddenly rose into the realm of metaphysics. (He used this last tool of evidence especially often.) He transferred the question to metaphysical heights, moved into the definitions of space, time, thought, and, making refutations from there, again descended to the ground of dispute.
In general, the main feature of Speransky’s mind that struck Prince Andrei was an undoubted, unshakable belief in the power and legitimacy of the mind. It was clear that Speransky could never get into the head of that usual thought for Prince Andrei, that it is still impossible to express everything that you think, and the doubt never came to mind that whether everything I think and everything is nonsense. , what do I believe? And this special mindset of Speransky most of all attracted Prince Andrei.
During the first time of his acquaintance with Speransky, Prince Andrei had a passionate feeling of admiration for him, similar to the one he once felt for Bonaparte. The fact that Speransky was the son of a priest, whom stupid people could, as many did, despise him as a party boy and priest, forced Prince Andrei to be especially careful with his feelings for Speransky, and unconsciously strengthen it in himself.
On that first evening that Bolkonsky spent with him, talking about the commission for drafting laws, Speransky ironically told Prince Andrei that the commission of laws had existed for 150 years, cost millions and had done nothing, that Rosenkampf had stuck labels on all articles of comparative legislation. – And that’s all for which the state paid millions! - he said.
“We want to give new judicial power to the Senate, but we have no laws.” Therefore, it is a sin not to serve people like you, prince, now.
Prince Andrei said that this requires a legal education, which he does not have.
- Yes, no one has it, so what do you want? This is a circulus viciosus, [a vicious circle] from which one must escape through effort.

A week later, Prince Andrei was a member of the commission for drawing up military regulations, and, which he did not expect, the head of the department of the commission for drawing up carriages. At the request of Speransky, he took the first part of the civil code being compiled and, with the help of Code Napoleon and Justiniani, [the Code of Napoleon and Justinian,] worked on drawing up the section: Rights of Persons.

Two years ago, in 1808, having returned to St. Petersburg from his trip to the estates, Pierre unwittingly became the head of St. Petersburg Freemasonry. He set up dining rooms and funeral lodges, recruited new members, took care of the unification of various lodges and the acquisition of authentic acts. He gave his money for the construction of temples and replenished, as much as he could, alms collections, for which most members were stingy and careless. He almost alone, at his own expense, supported the home of the poor, established by the order in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, his life went on as before, with the same hobbies and debauchery. He loved to dine and drink well, and although he considered it immoral and degrading, he could not refrain from enjoying the bachelor societies in which he participated.
In the midst of his studies and hobbies, Pierre, however, after a year, began to feel how the soil of Freemasonry on which he stood was moving away from under his feet, the more firmly he tried to stand on it. At the same time, he felt that the deeper the soil on which he stood went under his feet, the more involuntarily he was connected with it. When he began Freemasonry, he experienced the feeling of a man trustingly placing his foot on the flat surface of a swamp. Putting his foot down, he fell through. In order to be completely sure of the solidity of the soil on which he stood, he planted his other foot and sank even further, got stuck and involuntarily walked knee-deep in the swamp.
Joseph Alekseevich was not in St. Petersburg. (He had recently withdrawn from the affairs of the St. Petersburg lodges and lived in Moscow without a break.) All the brothers, members of the lodges, were people familiar to Pierre in life, and it was difficult for him to see in them only brothers in masonry, and not Prince B., not Ivan Vasilyevich D., whom he knew in life for the most part as weak and insignificant people. From under the Masonic aprons and signs, he saw on them the uniforms and crosses that they sought in life. Often, while collecting alms and counting 20–30 rubles recorded for the parish, and mostly in debt from ten members, half of whom were as rich as he was, Pierre recalled the Masonic oath that each brother promises to give all his property for one's neighbor; and doubts arose in his soul, which he tried not to dwell on.
He divided all the brothers he knew into four categories. In the first category he ranked brothers who do not take an active part either in the affairs of lodges or in human affairs, but are occupied exclusively with the mysteries of the science of the order, occupied with questions about the triple name of God, or about the three principles of things, sulfur, mercury and salt, or about the meaning of square and all the figures of Solomon's temple. Pierre respected this category of Freemason brothers, to which mostly old brothers belonged, and Joseph Alekseevich himself, in Pierre's opinion, but did not share their interests. His heart was not in the mystical side of Freemasonry.
In the second category, Pierre included himself and his brothers like him, those who are searching, hesitating, who have not yet found a direct and understandable path in Freemasonry, but hoping to find it.
In the third category he included brothers (there were the largest number of them) who did not see anything in Freemasonry except the external form and ritual and valued the strict execution of this external form, without caring about its content and meaning. Such were Vilarsky and even the great master of the main lodge.
Finally, the fourth category also included a large number of brothers, especially those who had recently joined the brotherhood. These were people, according to Pierre’s observations, who did not believe in anything, did not want anything, and who entered Freemasonry only to get closer to young brothers, rich and strong in connections and nobility, of whom there were quite a lot in the lodge.
Pierre began to feel dissatisfied with his activities. Freemasonry, at least the Freemasonry that he knew here, sometimes seemed to him to be based on appearance alone. He did not even think of doubting Freemasonry itself, but he suspected that Russian Freemasonry had taken the wrong path and deviated from its source. And therefore, at the end of the year, Pierre went abroad to initiate himself into the highest secrets of the order.

In the summer of 1809, Pierre returned to St. Petersburg. From the correspondence of our Freemasons with those abroad, it was known that Bezukhy managed to gain the trust of many high-ranking officials abroad, penetrated many secrets, was elevated to the highest degree and was carrying with him a lot for the common good of the masonry business in Russia. The St. Petersburg Masons all came to him, fawning on him, and it seemed to everyone that he was hiding something and preparing something.

Palladium is a member of the platinum group metals and is at the same time considered a noble and rare element. This precious metal exists in nature in the form of compounds: according to scientists, Pd is part of about 30 minerals. The element is also found in its native form, but very rarely. The metal is in many ways similar to platinum; outwardly it is difficult to distinguish them from each other. Precious metal nuggets contain iridium, silver, platinum and gold. The physical and chemical properties of the element allow it to be widely used in the chemical industry and electronics, and its status as a precious material allows it to be used as a raw material for jewelry.

Finding in nature and prey

Platinum and palladium are mined from primary and placer deposits. How are they different from each other? In primary deposits, the metal is part of minerals and is extracted as a by-product during the processing of nickel or copper ores. Placer deposits are permitted bedrock ore deposits where Pd has been released and accumulated as nuggets.

Palladium mining from alluvial deposits accounts for about 2% of the global production of the element. The largest of them are located in the Ural and Far Eastern regions of Russia, Canada, the USA, Australia and Colombia. The remaining 98% of Pd is extracted from the bowels of the earth at primary deposits of copper-nickel, platinum and chromium ores.

The world leaders in the extraction of precious metals from such deposits are Russia and South Africa. The undisputed first place among the mining enterprises of the industry is occupied by MMC Norilsk Nickel, producing more than 40% of the world's Pd volumes. The metallurgical plant extracts metal as a by-product during the extraction of its main products - copper and nickel. Among the mining assets of Norilsk Nickel, which have the potential for palladium reserves, are deposits on the Taimyr Peninsula - Talnakhskoye, Oktyabrskoye and Norilsk-1, as well as on the territory of the Kola Peninsula.

The next most important source of metal in the world is usually called the Bushveld complex, located on the territory of the Republic of South Africa. The territory of the deposit has the largest reserves of platinum group metals in the world.

Pd in ​​nuggets has impurities of other precious metals, but it itself is often one of the elements of native gold or platinum. During palladium mining in Norilsk, geologists discovered palladium platinum - a compound of platinum and its “younger brother” in a ratio of 60%/40%. Another similar alliance, this time with gold, was found in Brazil. Such gold with a 10% Pd content is called porpecite: visually distinguishing it from pure yellow metal is also problematic.

What minerals contains palladium? You can see them in the sample photos. The most famous minerals containing Pd are palladite, stannopalladite, braggite and potarite. Some compounds even today do not have names, since they have been little studied due to their rarity.

The element Pd is a component not only of the interior of our planet, but also of space objects: palladium is found in iron and stone meteorites arriving on Earth.

Properties and samples of metal

Palladium is close in its characteristics to its neighbors in the periodic table. The properties of the metal allow it to be compared with silver - in appearance and weight, and with platinum - in chemical parameters. Pure metal has a silvery-white color and a density of just over 12 g/cm3. The latter physical property gives Pd an advantage in jewelry: massive palladium jewelry will weigh much lighter than platinum or gold.

In its pure form, Pd is a soft metal; jewelry is not made from such a material. Products made from a pure element will not withstand even a small mechanical load. Jewelers use certain samples of palladium in their work. What are they? In Western countries, the 950 standard of precious metal is quite common, in which 5% ruthenium or copper is added to 95% of the main element. Nickel is also used as a component of the alloy that can increase the hardness of the alloy. In Russia, 500 and 850 samples of metal have been approved; palladium is combined with silver and nickel. 850 standard can be made of Pd and copper. The resistance to wear of jewelry made from such alloys exceeds the characteristics of products made from gold and silver.

Pd as a metal is distinguished by its malleability and ductility, thanks to which it can be processed in any of the following ways: casting, soldering, polishing, engraving. The material is drawn into wire and can be rolled into foil.

Palladium as an element is distinguished by the chemical inertness inherent in all platinoids, but among the metals of this group it is the most active. Under normal natural conditions, it does not react with other substances, but dissolves in aqua regia, hot concentrated sulfuric and nitric acid. Pd can form compounds with chlorine, iodine, bromine, fluorine, sulfur and silicon. When heated in air, the metal becomes covered with an oxide film and becomes dull; under normal operating conditions, palladium products will not darken.

In terms of its chemical properties, Pd is recognized by experts as a good catalyst, so the main consumers of the element are the chemical and automotive industries.

Industrial applications of metal

Palladium mining today satisfies the demand on the market, which is mainly industrial. The application of Pd is distributed as follows:

• 70% - production of automotive catalysts;
• 10% - electronics industry;
• 5% - chemical industry;
• 5% - medicine;
• 5% - investments;
• 5% - jewelry and other areas of use.

The main part of the mined metal is used for the production of automotive catalysts, which is why the demand for Pd depends on the economic situation in the engineering industry of a particular consumer country. Neutralizers containing palladium are necessary in the production of cars of any brand for afterburning exhaust gases. It was the use of Pd instead of platinum, which was scarce in the 2000s, that led to an increase in quotations of this precious metal on world exchanges. An additional impetus was the EU decision to limit automobile emissions and tighten control over this area. Catalysts containing Pd are also necessary for purifying gas emissions from thermal power plants.

The use of palladium in the chemical industry is extremely wide. Being an excellent catalyst, Pd is indispensable in the processes of oil cracking and fat hydrogenation. This chemical element is used as a catalyst in the production of acetylene, ammonia, chlorine, sulfuric and nitric acids, caustic soda, fertilizers and pharmaceuticals. Palladium chloride is used in industry as an indicator for detecting trace amounts of carbon monoxide in gas mixtures.

The metal is widely used in processes of deep purification of hydrogen, which actively diffuses through palladium. The gas is passed under pressure through heated palladium tubes, resulting in hydrogen passing through the metal faster than other impurities that are retained in the tubes. Since the use of pure palladium for these purposes is expensive, in order to reduce production costs, Pd alloys with silver or yttrium are used to purify hydrogen.

Pd and its alloys are used in the electronics industry. it is used to create coatings that are resistant to sulfides. The metal has found its application in the production of military, aerospace equipment and civil equipment. The element is necessary when producing slide chords, as it is highly wear-resistant. These properties of the precious metal are excellent for its use in contact groups. In civilian equipment, Pd was actively used in the 80s for contacts and strings of Soviet control-recording machines and automatic telephone exchanges.

This is what a rheochord looks like.

Where else is palladium used? It is a component of ceramic capacitors, known to all radio amateurs. The element is present in KM type capacitors, characterized by high temperature stability of the capacitance, which are present in any high-frequency radio and television equipment, mobile phones and computers. The presence of Pd in ​​radio components attracts fans of metal refining at home.

The metal has also found application in other areas of industrial production, where it is used for a variety of purposes: palladium is necessary for the process of manufacturing special chemical glassware, as well as corrosion-resistant parts of special-purpose measuring instruments. Pd is also indispensable in glass making, where it is used in crucibles for melting glass.

Palladium has been increasingly used in medicine in recent years. Metal and its alloys are used to produce parts for various medical devices and instruments. The simplest example of the use of Pd in ​​this industry is the production of pacemakers, individual parts of which are made from this precious metal. Sometimes the element is used to produce cytostatic drugs.

In medicine, the largest share of palladium is spent on the manufacture of dentures. The development of dental research and an increase in the accompanying demand for the metal can increase demand and quotations for the element in the future - this factor is one of the potential reasons for the increase in the price of Pd on exchanges.

Jewelry and investment

Jewelers use palladium as an independent precious metal, as well as a component of other precious alloys. Pd is a component of the platinum master alloy, and is also almost always present as an element in the 585 and 750 gold alloys. All known and quite popular white gold today owes its hue to the addition of this particular chemical element. The precious metal itself is not used in the production of jewelry in its pure form; in high grades, ruthenium is present in the alloy alloy.

For global palladium production, the demand of the jewelry industry is not critical. Even despite the policy of popularizing palladium jewelry, consumer interest in them is low. Jewelry factories offer their customers both traditional jewelry for women - earrings, rings, brooches, pendants, and men's signets, crosses and cufflinks. The precious metal has been actively used in recent years in the collections of famous fashion designers, presenting not only jewelry, but also stylish and unusual accessories: watches, lighters, pens, wallets.

Where else is precious metal used? Palladium, due to its noble origin, is one of the investment instruments. You can invest in precious metals in different ways; among the available options for ordinary bank clients are purchasing bullion and opening a metal account. Compulsory medical insurance is carried out in grams of “virtual metal”, so when you open it you will not receive a single gram of Pd in ​​your hands. But if you decide to purchase an ingot, you will be able to feel the weight of the metal in your hands.

Palladium in the precious metals market is considered one of the fundamental assets that can bring profit only in the long term. Most investments in the metal are futures contracts on the exchange; there is no point in buying palladium bars in order to increase your money. For novice investors and ordinary bank clients, it will be easiest to open an impersonal account. Another unique investment instrument directly related to Pd is commemorative coins. Coins from this metal are minted rarely and in limited quantities, so it is not practical to consider them as a source of profit.

Among precious metals, there are four elements that are subject to hallmarking. They are the most expensive of all noble minerals.

These are silver, gold, platinum and palladium. Platinum and palladium are minerals belonging to the platinum group elements. It is difficult to distinguish them by external signs. Therefore, it is worth understanding what palladium is and how to distinguish it from other metals?

In 1801, the German scientist Olbers discovered a planet called Pallas. This discovery became a sensation and made a huge impression on the famous chemist Wollaston. Therefore, when two years later he was able to obtain a new element from raw platinum, he gave it the name palladium.

Palladium is the lightest element of the platinum group. Its density is about 12 g per 1 cubic centimeter. In its pure form, the metal has a silvery-white color, there are no other shades.

Many properties of the metal are similar to those of other noble elements. For example, the mineral is quite plastic, viscous and has good malleability. Just like gold, it can easily be stretched into the thinnest sheet or given any shape, soldered, polished or engraved.

But if you compare the element with platinum, then in some qualities it is inferior to it. For example, it reacts with sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. And nitric acid can dissolve it completely. In relation to other elements, palladium is an inert metal.

Receipt

The element is present in white gold. And an important task is to separate it from bismuth and arsenic, which, like palladium, dissolve in nitric acid.

To do this, perform the following manipulations:

1. Nitrate of elements such as silver, palladium and bismuth must be evaporated to a syrupy state. In the case of palladium, this will help remove residues of various acids from them.
2. Next, the mixture is diluted with purified water.
3. Concentrated hydrochloric acid is added. A white sedimentary deposit, similar to cottage cheese, is formed - silver chloride. It must be separated so that the solution becomes clear.
4. After this, the composition is evaporated. This removes hydrochloric acid.
5. Ammonia is added to the mixture. The composition should turn blue or green. Flakes - bismuth chloride - will begin to fall out. It does not dissolve in ammonia.
6. The mixture is filtered. Hydrochloric acid is added to it. As a result, palladium sulfide is formed.
7. After the completion of the reaction, a yellow precipitate is formed in a transparent solution with a yellowish tint.
8. Palladium sulfide must be thoroughly washed and removed from water.
9. Palladium sulfide can then be reduced to its metal state. To do this, it must be melted down again.
10. To give the metal a marketable appearance, palladium sulfide is best reduced to black with hydrogen sulfide. Then it needs to be fused again. After this, the palladium sulfide is granulated.

Try

Since palladium is a soft metal, it is not used in its pure form. Such an alloy will not be able to withstand even slight external influences.

Jewelers use minerals with various impurities for their work. The sample size of the alloy also depends on their number and name.

The main samples of palladium are presented in the table.

All metals impart hardness to the element. And if you add gold or silver, you can increase the wear resistance of the alloy.

Extraction and use

Palladium is a precious metal alloy that is found in more than 30 minerals. It is also found in the form of nuggets. A large amount of the element is included in gold and silver alloys.

Palladium is considered a rare precious metal. It is much rarer than gold. Among the main mining sites are:

1. Norilsk platinum. It is an important deposit of the element. Here, more than half of all minerals are palladium. The rest is mercury, copper, nickel.
2. A large amount of the metal is mined in Brazil. Nuggets with an element content of more than 10% are found here.

The uses of palladium metal are varied. There is practically no area where it is not used:

A mixture of palladium and platinum is often used. It not only improves the technological characteristics of the metal, but also gives the decoration greater expressiveness.

Price

The cost of 1 g of palladium on the stock exchange is almost 1,500 rubles.

If he is talking about scrap, then it is worth knowing that a product of high standard and with an artistic design is more expensive. For jewelry of 500 standard, buyers will offer no more than 550 rubles. But if the quantity of the item being delivered is 500 g or more, the cost will increase.

The so-called - platinoids.

There is a rather interesting story associated with the discovery of this metal. In 1803, one of the major British mineral traders received a small ingot of palladium in an anonymous letter offering to sell it. Fierce discussions flared up around the new (as stated in the letter) metal - a relative of platinum. Conservative British scientists called the new substance a “pseudo-metal,” most likely an alloy of mercury and platinum. However, other scientists found no trace of mercury or platinum. A little later, when the controversy had subsided, an advertisement was published in one of the scientific journals promising a considerable reward to anyone who could repeat this fusion. Discussions flared up with renewed vigor, but any attempts to recreate the material turned out to be a natural failure.

Finally, in 1804, British scientist William Wollaston appeared on the scientific scene with another palladium ingot. The year before, he managed to isolate palladium from platinum ore using a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids (“aqua regia,” which dissolves gold and platinum).

The new metal, in addition to its beautiful appearance, did not tarnish or oxidize, which was ensured by 18 electrons in its outer orbit. At the same time, it was flexible, malleable and soft. The addition of a small part of other platinoids, gold or silver gave it strength.

The metal received its name in honor of the recently discovered (1802) asteroid Pallas, named, in turn, in honor of the ancient Greek goddess Pallas Athena. Simultaneously, by the way, with the discovery of palladium, from the same platinum ore, Wollaston discovered another platinum - rhodium.

Application of palladium.

Applications of palladium received in a wide variety of production areas:

• in dentistry in the production of dental crowns and dentures;
• in the chemical industry (production of chemical glassware);
• in medicine - in the production (due to bactericidal properties) of medical glassware, instruments and even pacemakers;
• in pharmaceuticals (a small amount of palladium is included in some medicines);
• in electronics and electrical engineering in the production of printed circuit boards and electronic microcircuits;
• in the jewelry industry (alloys of palladium with platinum or gold are quite popular; the latter, when combined, turns into “white gold”, more durable and practical);
• in the glass industry (glass melting);
• in the automotive industry (due to the fact that palladium is a strong catalyst, it is used in technology for purifying automobile exhaust gases);
• in aircraft and rocket production (again, due to its catalytic properties, palladium is used to purify hydrogen).

Palladium mining and market.

Key areas palladium mining in the world are:

• Russia (near Norilsk);
• South Africa;
• Alaska (USA);
• Canada;
• Australia.

About half of the world palladium export falls on the Russian Federation. South Africa is in second place, followed by Canada and the United States.

The main consumers of palladium are enterprises in the electronics, chemical and automotive industries. By volume palladium import China occupies a confident first place in the world.

Palladium, having similar physical and chemical properties to platinum, is about half the price, so it continues to be in demand in the metals market, including London Metal Exchange (LME).

Peak world palladium supplies falls on the 1990s and 2000s, which is explained by the increased attention of some states to the environmental safety of automobile engines.

Palladium price dynamics.

Palladium price increased in the 70s of the last century, when it began to be used in the automobile industry as an exhaust gas converter instead of platinum, since the latter was almost twice as expensive. However, the level of palladium production was then not high enough for the global automotive industry. Therefore, the peak of palladium sales occurred in the 90s, when new deposits of this metal were developed.

In the early 90s, the price of palladium on the London Stock Exchange fluctuated around $150-200 per troy ounce (about 31 grams). It should not be forgotten that, taking into account inflation, 150 dollars in 1990 was equivalent to approximately 600 dollars in 2010.

Palladium price dynamics intensified in the early 2000s, and in 2001 the price of palladium reached a historical record, when this noble metal began to cost about 900-1000 dollars. A new increase in palladium prices occurred already in 2011, when it amounted to $825 per troy ounce. In subsequent years, the price of palladium stabilized at $700-800 per ounce.

However, in the last two years there has been a gradual decline on the stock exchange. palladium futures. Considering the decline in metal production and its potential shortage, this seems somewhat paradoxical, since a decrease in production usually causes an increase in price. Experts attribute this situation to the decline in the economy of China (the main importer), as well as the emergence of cheaper exhaust gas neutralizers in the automotive industry.

In 2015, the average world price for palladium dropped to $550-600 per ounce, and the decline continued.

However, precious metals exchange experts believe that investment in palladium are not nearly as hopeless as they seem. Palladium Price Forecasts in 2016 they are much more optimistic. Firstly, the need for palladium in electronics, medicine, chemical and other industries has not been canceled. Secondly, Russia has plans to develop new, not yet touched upon, palladium deposits.

Anyway, investing in palladium, like any other precious metal, will not bring quick profit. They are more suitable for long-term investment, that is, saving money.

Regarding the role of palladium in the automotive industry, new catalytic converters based on organic carbamide (urea) are used more with diesel rather than gasoline engines. Therefore, palladium-based catalysts still have a fairly high prospect of application (especially considering that many manufacturers still use expensive platinum-iridium alloys).

Banking analysts write about the insufficient satisfaction of demand for palladium - but the valuable metal is needed by industry, medicine, and jewelry.

Meanwhile, according to scientists, almost a palladium shower falls on the surface of our planet every year. Well, maybe not a downpour, but a faithful seven kilograms arrive from space every year!

Where does this wealth come from?

We are the children of the stars...

...and in the literal sense and most of the body. Larger - because some of the chemical elements that make up both human and celestial bodies were formed outside the stars. Palladium is the “son” of two processes occurring in the Universe. Some of it is synthesized in reactions occurring in massive stars. Part of the palladium, as well as the rest, is formed during supernova explosions.

Metal ejected into interstellar space sooner or later becomes part of a gas and dust cloud, from the mass of which stars and planets condense. Colliding and collapsing, celestial bodies are crushed - these are the fragments that the Earth collects in its journey through the orbits of the galaxy. The indicated seven kilograms of palladium are contained in two thousand tons of meteorites that fall on our planet per year...

A considerable amount of palladium is concentrated in burnt-out nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants. For obvious reasons, it is impossible to use metal from uranium-plutonium slag in any way. So right away it’s impossible, but after 10-15 million years (quite a bit by the standards of the Universe) it’s possible!

Two centuries since the discovery of palladium

The honor of discovering palladium belongs to a not very diligent English doctor, who showed remarkable research insight and excellent commercial agility.

William Wollaston, at that time already a full member of the Royal Society of London for the Knowledge of Nature, in the last years of the 18th century started a profitable business in the production of platinum utensils. Experimenting with ore residue, Wollaston isolates new metals, one of which the scientist names “palladium”, and the second “rhodium”.

The name palladium is quite random. In the early 1800s, the Greek goddess Pallas Athena became a household name when a recently discovered asteroid was named after her. In 1803, two years after the significant event, Wollaston gives the “new silver” the fashionable name of a wise warrior.

Richard the Unbeliever

At the beginning of the 19th century, science served as entertainment for many enlightened people. Wollaston was not without a slight hoax. The announcement he gave read: a noble metal has been discovered, similar in appearance and properties to m. Available for purchase...

The ambitious Irish chemist Richard Chenevix, who had just received the highest award from the Royal Society, decided to turn his success into triumph, and publicly promised to bring the fraudster to clean water. According to Chenevix, the unknown charlatan simply used the little-known Musin-Pushkin method, which made it possible to fuse mercury with platinum.

Having bought the ingot that was being sold, Chenevix hastily conducted research, and soon reported at a meeting of the academic council that he was right. All that remains is to expose the falsifier!

And then an advertisement appears in the newspaper: someone promises to pay 20 pounds to anyone who can fuse platinum with mercury so that they get “new silver”...

With rage turning into frenzy, Chenevix begins experiments. Other London chemists are also working with him at the same time. Needless to say, none of them manages to synthesize palladium or isolate platinum and mercury from the ingot purchased by Chenevix.

A year after the start of the epic, Wollaston gives a detailed account of the discovery. Soon he is elected president of the Royal Society. Richard Chenevix has to leave his chemistry classes...

Mining and use of palladium

Today, geologists count three dozen minerals that include palladium. A considerable amount of metal is included in the native formations of gold, silver and platinum. Norilsk platinum contains almost half of palladium! Brazilian prospectors have found gold nuggets with a ten percent precious metal content.

Deposits of palladium ores, as a rule, coincide with deposits of other non-ferrous metals, including nickel, mercury, and copper. According to modern estimates, the most promising palladium reserves are concentrated in Norilsk.

Amazing properties of palladium made it indispensable in the chemical industry. Palladium's ability to absorb hydrogen in a volume almost a thousand times greater than the volume of the metal is amazing! The use of palladium catalysts in the technological cycle of margarine production made it possible to eliminate the previously inevitable contamination of the food product with nickel.

Hot palladium is easily permeable to hydrogen. A millimeter-thick metal plate installed as a membrane removes hydrogen from complex gas compositions and solutions that do not otherwise release hydrogen.

Palladium alloys do not oxidize even under an electric arc, which opened the way for them to the electrical industry. Titanium with a small addition of palladium exhibits increased resistance to various chemical loads. Medicine cannot do without palladium: the metal is used in dentistry, cardiology, and pharmaceuticals.

Palladium in jewelry

Palladium itself is very decorative and can compete in expressiveness with silver, and even more so with platinum. Alloys containing palladium are highly valued by jewelers.
The so-called “” is most often nothing more than a combination of gold and palladium. The soft, discreet shine of noble metal is the best frame for! An alloy of palladium with indium - depending on the concentration of the ingredients - can have a color from a characteristic golden to a pronounced lilac hue.

Wedding rings made from an alloy with a high palladium content (palladium hallmarks - 500, 850, ligature - silver) are visually indistinguishable from rhodium-plated gold rings. At the same time, the owner of the jewelry does not need to periodically renew the rhodium plating. And palladium is somewhat inferior in price to gold.

The addition of palladium to platinum gives the product greater expressiveness and increases the technological properties of the material.