Rhodium
Real Metals · Very Rare · Modern
What gets plated over white gold to keep it white, in a coat a fraction of a micron thick. It is the most expensive of the precious metals by a wide margin, and the whole world's annual production would barely fill a living room.
Identity
- Symbol
- Rh
- Atomic number
- 45
- Source
- Natural element
- Also known as
- Rh
- Ores of the industrial age
- Pentlandite, Platinum
- Ore deposits
- Placer deposit
Physical Properties
- Appearance
- Brilliant silver-white, the most reflective of all metals, never tarnishes
- Luster
- Metallic
- Density
- 12.41 g/cm³
- Melting point
- 1964 °C
- Boiling point
- 3695 °C
- Lighter
- Palladium
- Denser
- Gromril
- Magnetism
- Non-magnetic
- Electrical conductivity
- Medium
Mechanical Properties
- Mohs hardness
- 6
- Tensile strength
- 700 MPa
- Softer
- Steel
- Harder
- Damascus Steel
- Workability
- Difficult
- Brittleness
- Brittle
- Malleability
- Low
- Ductility
- Low
Chemical Properties
- Corrosion resistance
- Absolute
- Reactivity
- Very Low
Lore & Narrative
Rhodium was discovered in 1803 from crude platinum ore. Its name comes from the Greek rhodon, meaning rose, because its salts produce a rose-red colour. The metal itself is bright silver, but its compounds colour the world in ways no other element matches.
- Notable uses
- Jewellery plating, catalytic converters, mirror coatings, thermocouples
- Forge uses
- Plating, optical instruments, catalytic applications
- Worldbuilding traits
- rarest, Reflective, Incorruptible, Modern
Sources
- U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025: Platinum-Group Metals, USGS, 2025
- Rhodium, Wikipedia
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