Palladium (element), symbol Pd, silvery-white, soft metallic element, with an atomic number of 46 and an atomic weight of 106.4. It is one of the transition elements of the periodic table. Palladium is flexible and resistant to corrosion. Very rare, it occurs in the pure state in platinum ores and in the combined state in Canadian nickel ore. The chief use of palladium is in electrical contacts in communications switchgear. An alloy with gold, called white gold, is used in jewelry. Platinum and palladium are the most widely used of the six platinum group metals (PGM); the group also includes rhodium, ruthenium, osmium, and iridium. Platinum and palladium are among the world's scarcest metals. Only about 4.5 million troy ounces of platinum and approximately 5 million ounces of palladium entered Western markets in 2016. By comparison, worldwide mine production of gold totaled approximately 70 million ounces in 2016, while supplies of newly mined silver totaled approximately 440 million ounces. Investing in Palladium Palladium's importance in world markets will be a very rewarding opportunity
for those investors who seek to profit by correctly anticipating price changes. Soaking Up Hydrogen Palladium is a silvery-white metal named after the goddess of wisdom. It does not tarnish in air. Mixing it with gold produces the white gold used in jewelry. Closely related to platinum, it's used in dentistry, watch making, surgical instruments and electrical contacts. Palladium soaks up hydrogen like a sponge -- that is, if you can imagine a sponge that soaks up hundreds of buckets of water. At room temperature and atmospheric pressure, palladium can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen. Energy Research Because Palladium has the ability to soak up huge volumes of hydrogen it has been the focus of cold fusion research and fuel cell research as a major component, Huge Price Swings Likely. Because of the unusual properties of Palladium and its limited availability huge price swings are likely in the future as have been seen in the past achieving highs of almost $2,900.00 U.S. Dollars in the past few years. |
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