* Platinum is a member of the transition metals family:
____________________________________________________________________ PLATINUM / Pt / 78 A shiny, silvery-white, malleable, ductile, dense metal that is highly resistant to corrosion; it will not oxidize in air, no matter how highly it is heated. Six isotopes are found in nature: Pt<195/78> / 35% Pt<194/78> / 33% Pt<196/78> / 25% Pt<198/78> / 7% Pt<192/78> / 1% Pt<190/78> / 0.01% All are stable except for Pt<190/78>, which has a half-life of about 7E11 years. atomic weight: 195.078 abundance: 75th density: 21.45 gm/cc melting point: 1,772 C boiling point: 3,827 C valence: 1? 2 3 <4> ____________________________________________________________________
Platinum is the most common of the "platinum group" of metals, which also includes ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, and iridium. Platinum is produced at a level of a few hundred tonnes a year. It is heavily used in jewelry, sometimes being alloyed in a small amount of iridium to increase hardness. It also has some industrial uses, particularly as a catalyst.