Most of the rhodium metal sold in the United States is used to make alloys. An alloy is made by melting and mixing two or more metals. The mixture has properties different from those of the individual metals.
Rhodium is often added to platinum to make an alloy. Rhodium is harder than platinum and has a higher melting point. So the alloy is a better material than pure platinum. Most rhodium alloys are used for industrial or research purposes, such as laboratory equipment and thermocouples.
A thermocouple is a device for measuring very high temperatures. Rhodium alloys are also used to coat mirrors and in search-lights because they reflect light very well. Compounds of rhodium are used as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance used to speed up or slow down a chemical reaction without undergoing any change itself. There are no studies of the health effects from rhodium or its common compounds. Elements without information about toxicity are usually treated as if they are poisonous.
Toggle navigation. Photo by: www. Discovery and naming In the early s, Wollaston was studying an ore of platinum. Physical properties Rhodium is a silver-white metal. Chemical properties Rhodium is a relatively inactive metal. Occurrence in nature Rhodium is one of the rarest elements on Earth. The first rhodium compound was a beautiful rose color. Isotopes Only one naturally occurring isotope of rhodium is known, rhodium Extraction Rhodium is usually obtained as a by-product in the recovery of platinum from its ores.
Uses Most of the rhodium metal sold in the United States is used to make alloys. Compounds Compounds of rhodium are used as catalysts. Health effects There are no studies of the health effects from rhodium or its common compounds. Other articles you might like:. Also read article about Rhodium from Wikipedia. User Contributions: 1. Hello, I want to know how rhodium dissolve and how the reaction can be done. Test on plants have shown that it is the least toxic member of the platinum group of metals.
Back to chart periodic table elements. More from 'Elements'. Toggle navigation. Home Periodic table Elements Rhodium. About Lenntech. General Delivery Conditions. Privacy Policy. All rights reserved. Atomic number. Rhodium Rhodium, together with ruthenium , palladium , osmium , iridium , and platinum form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals PGM.
Rhodium in the environment Rodhium occurs as rare deposits of the uncombined metal, for example in Montana, USA and in rare minerals. H ealth effects of rhodium Rhodium compounds are encountered relatively rarely by most people. This may be because rhodium compounds are encountered so rarely. Test on plants have shown that it is the least toxic member of the platinum group of metals, according to Lenntech. Although rhodium is generally considered non-toxic, some of its compounds are toxic and carcinogenic.
Naturally occurring rhodium consists of just one stable isotope: Rh Commercial rhodium is generally obtained as a byproduct of copper and nickel refining. In nature, rhodium can occur uncombined or with other platinum minerals. It can be found in river sands in North and South America and in copper-nickel sulfide ores in Ontario, Canada, according to the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Due to its rarity, the small market size and the concentrated supply — South Africa alone produces roughly 80 percent of the world's rhodium — prices are typically volatile, according to Mining. Although rhodium seems to have found a solid industry niche in cleaning car exhausts, many new research projects are showing that the precious metal may hold much more potential, particularly in its primary role as a catalyst.
In one such study, Swiss researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the ETH Zurich developed a new chemical process that uses the sun's thermal energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into high energy fuels. This chemical process involves a new material combination of cerium oxide and small amounts of rhodium as a catalyst. Their discovery is a major step toward the chemical storage of solar energy which has been a very tricky problem for scientists.
Their new findings are published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science.
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