Palladium
By: Kelly Cummings
The History of Palladium
Palladium was first found in the 1700s by Brazilian miners, sadly the miners had no idea how important this metal is that they just let it go and did nothing with it. Then later a guy named William Wollaston found Palladium in England and he decided to mine it.
The Name Palladium
Palladium is named after the asteroid pallas and it is also named after the greek goddess of wisdom Athena.
How it is used
Palladium can be used in jewelry, an automobile Catalytic Converters, some dental fillings and crowns, and it is sometimes used to imitate silver. Palladium is perfect for these things because palladium does not rust when it comes in contact the air.
Atomic Structure
Palladium has and atomic number of 46 which also means it has 46 protons and electrons since protons, electrons, and atomic number all have the same number representing them. Palladium also has 60 neutrons. It also has a mass number or 106.
Physical Properties
Palladium has an atomic mass of 106.42. It has an atomic Radius in picometers or pm of 196pm. Palladium has a density of 12.023g/cc. It has a melting point of 1554.99 degrees Celsius or 1827.99K while it also has a boiling point of 2936 degrees celsius and 3236K. At Room temperature palladium is a solid.
Fun Facts
Palladium will only react to the air if there is sulfur present.
Palladium swells up like a sponge when it absorbs large amounts of hydrogen.
Palladium is the least dense metal and it also has the smallest melting point out of all the platinum metals.
Different compounds
Palladium has two different compounds but only one is really important. PdCl-2 is used to rapidly stain stainless steel, and is also used sometimes to be able to test for corrosion.
Different Isotopes
Palladium has six different isotopes but only two are really important and really stable. Pd-103 is used in radiation therapy. Pd-107 it yields from thermal neutron fission of uranium-235.
Physical Properties
Palladium is a conductor and it is also malleable because it can scratch other materials. Palladium can also scratch other metals.
Its location
Palladium is located in the middle of the periodic table and it is atomic 46.
Chemical Properties
Palladium is only reactive when there is sulfur in the air.
Works Cited
Element Card: Gray, Theodore W. (2008). The Photographic Card Deck of the Elements.
Elements Book: Gray, Theodore W. (2009). The Elements: A visual exploration of every known atom in the universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc.
https://www.hobart.k12.in.us/ksms/PeriodicTable/palladium.htm