Platinum Group Metals: Everyday Metals

The six platinum group metals (PGMs) – iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and ruthenium – play a vital role in everyday living.  From fountain pens to aircraft turbines, from mobile phones to anti-cancer drugs, it’s estimated that about one in four goods we use daily owes its existence to PGMs.

Platinum, probably the most recognized of the six PGM elements that are clustered together in the periodic table, was dubbed “platina,” or little silver, by the Spaniards when they first encountered it in Colombia.  They regarded it as an unwanted impurity in the silver they mined.

The catalytic properties of PGMs are outstanding.  For 30 years, automotive applications have led the demand for three PGMs (platinum, palladium and rhodium).  In catalytic converters, these metals reduce dangerous automobile exhaust emissions that contribute to acid rain and the increase in smog and breathing difficulties.  They convert unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and particulates into less harmful carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water vapor.  PGMs even ensure that your airbag operates properly.

PGM catalysts are also used in other air pollution-abatement processes to remove organic vapors, odors, and carbon monoxide.

The chemical industry uses a significant amount of either platinum or a platinum-rhodium alloy catalysts for organic synthesis, production of nitric acid, and fabrication of laboratory equipment.

Platinum supported catalysts are used in the refining of crude oil and the production of high-octane gasoline and aromatic compounds for the petrochemical industry.

Other distinctive properties that have been exploited for industrial applications include resistance to chemical attack, excellent high-temperature characteristics, and stable electrical properties.  

In medicine, platinum and palladium alloys are common as dental restorative materials.  PGMs are used in implants such as pacemakers and replacement valves and  found in some cancer drugs, notably those used in treating leukemia and testicular cancer.

Glass in laptop computer screens is typically made with equipment manufactured using PGMs, and disks in hard drives are coated with the PGM metals.  Smoke detectors rely on PGMs.  Platinum’s wear and tarnish resistance characteristics make it well suited for fine jewelry.

New uses for these metals are discovered almost daily.  For example, the quest for an alternative automobile fuel has led to global efforts to develop fuel-cell technology.  Platinum is used in fuel cells to convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity. 

But the PGM supply is extremely restricted.  The US relies on imports, significantly from South Africa and Russia, for more than 90% of its platinum.  The country uses about 170 metric tonnes of platinum annually; Birch Lake would generate approximately 33,000 ounces.  Platinum is also highly recyclable, however, according to some estimates, if platinum mining ceased today above-ground reserves would last about one year. We also import about 80% of our palladium supply.