Some metals are considered extremely expensive, among them, we can mention gold, silver and platinum. However, there is a metal with even more expressive value. Few people know about it, since this material is extremely rare, but it has several uses.
Known as rhodium, the material is practically unknown to people, who believe that gold is considered the most expensive. In addition to its extreme value, rhodium has many uses, but the most common is as a catalyst in many types of automobiles.
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To get an idea of the rarity of rhodium, suffice it to say that it is only found in proportions of 0.000037 parts per million in the earth's crust, which raises its price to about $144 a gram.
Meanwhile, the gold it is found in proportions of 0.0013 parts per million and sells for $67 a gram, less than half the price of rhodium. Keep reading to find out more!
(Image: publicity)
The rare metal commonly used in catalysts was discovered by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. It was found along with pieces of platinum mined in South America during its separation from other metals and the refining process.
Rhodium was found after another metal, palladium, was discovered from the same sample of platinum and a red powder of sorts remained.
Although it has a silvery appearance in its solid state, the name given refers to rose in Greek, referring to the reddish color of its salts.
In addition to being extremely rare, the metal does not easily interact with oxygen, so its corrosion and oxygenation work differently from what is seen in other metals.
Its resistance to external factors is another factor that greatly raises the price and high demand.
Nowadays, rhodium is extracted at around 16 tons per year, and its estimated reserve is only 3 thousand tons. Moreover, its main production is found only in two countries: Russia and South Africa. In general, it appears as a by-product of the production of other metals and ores.
O metal it belongs to the platinum group, has low solubility in acids and withstands high temperatures, up to 600ºC in water or air and a melting point of 1964ºC.
For this reason, its use in car catalysts, aircraft, high temperature thermocouples, resistance wires and others brings a lot of efficiency.
Despite its high cost per gram, rhodium is hardly found as a base for the production of jewelry and other types of adornments. This is due to the fact that it is much more versatile when it comes to using it for high-strength metallic connections, a property that is also “expensive”.