Platinum
Real Metals · Very Rare · Modern
Nearly three times the weight of iron for the same lump, untouched by acid, and it does not melt until 1768°C, hotter than any pre-industrial forge could reach. Its real trick is catalysis: reactions run on its surface without consuming it, so the same piece works forever. That is why a few grams sit in every car exhaust.
Identity
- Symbol
- Pt
- Atomic number
- 78
- Source
- Natural element
- Also known as
- Pt, White gold (misnomer)
- Ores, before industry and since
- Platinum
- Ores of the industrial age
- Cooperite, Pentlandite, Sperrylite
- Ore deposits
- Placer deposit
- Used in alchemy
- Pure Platinum Powder
Physical Properties
- Appearance
- Dense silver-white, slightly grey tinge, does not tarnish
- Luster
- Metallic
- Density
- 21.45 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 1768 °C
- Boiling point
- 3825 °C
- Lighter
- Gold
- Denser
- Iridium
- Magnetism
- Non-magnetic
- Electrical conductivity
- Medium
Mechanical Properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3.5
- Tensile strength
- 125 MPa
- Softer
- Shakudo
- Harder
- Hepatizon
- Workability
- Moderate
- Brittleness
- Tough
- Malleability
- High
- Ductility
- High
Chemical Properties
- Corrosion resistance
- Absolute
- Reactivity
- Very Low
Lore & Narrative
Pre-Columbian South Americans worked platinum for centuries before Europeans. When Spanish conquistadors encountered it, they called it platina, 'little silver', and considered it an impure nuisance. They threw it into rivers to prevent its use in counterfeit gold coins.
- Notable uses
- Jewelry, catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, cancer treatment
- Forge uses
- Jewelry, Laboratory equipment, Medical
- Worldbuilding traits
- Rare, Incorruptible, Dense, Catalytic
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Platinum-Group Metals, USGS, 2025
- Platinum, Wikipedia
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