Palladium
🚗 In Your World
Palladium is a silvery-white precious metal that is a true hero for clean air. Its largest use by far is in catalytic converters for cars, where it converts up to 90% of harmful pollutants in exhaust gas into less harmful substances like carbon dioxide and water vapor. It is also used in electronics (in capacitors), dentistry, and as a beautiful, hypoallergenic metal for jewelry.
📖 The Discovery Story
Palladium was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which had been discovered just two years earlier. The asteroid itself was named after Pallas Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Wollaston initially marketed the new metal anonymously as "new silver" to pique the interest of the scientific community before revealing its true nature.
📊 Properties at a Glance
| Phase at STP | Solid |
| Melting Point | 1554.9 °C / 2830.8 °F |
| Boiling Point | 2963 °C / 5365 °F |
| Electron Configuration | [Kr] 4d¹⁰ |
| Abundance in Earth's Crust | 0.0000015% |
⚠️ Safety & Handling
Palladium metal is considered to have very low toxicity and is generally safe to handle, which is why it's used in jewelry and dental fillings. However, like other platinum group metals, some of its compounds can be more reactive and potentially toxic if ingested or inhaled.