In today’s world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.

Bullion is a mass of any one of the known precious metals. By strict definition, precious metals are those metallic elements that are rare. Bullion is commonly made of either gold or silver. Its value is determined by the worth of the metal rather than by its face value as money. To put it another way, bullion is valued based on the mass and purity of the metal used, instead of its artificial currency value.

New sources of ore have been discovered and there also have been improvements in the mining and refining processes. These two factors may cause the values of gold, silver, and the other precious metals to diminish. Also, the “precious” qualification of a metal is determined by the market value or high demand.

Bullion is traded on commodity markets in two forms: bulk ingots or coins, the latter minted by the government of a country. At least ten countries are known to mint gold and silver bullion coins. These are Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

While bullion coins are issued as legal tender, with nominal values assigned to them on minting, such face values are far below the commodity value of the metals themselves. Here’s an example: Most of the gold coins issued by national governments, particularly those with currency values of between 10 and 100 U.S. dollars, usually contain no less than 31 grams of gold. On the average (considering the consistent rise in the exchange rate of gold), the value of gold is around USD12 per gram. Here, it is clear that the currency value assigned by the government to a gold bullion coin has no meaning.

Below is a list of some of the government-issued gold and silver bullion coins:

1. Australian Gold Nugget, Lunar Series I, and Lunar Series II

2. Austrian Philharmoniker

3. Canadian Maple Leaf

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4. Chinese Gold Panda

5. Mexican Centenario, Libertad, and Onza

6. Polish Orzel bielik

7. South African Krugerrand

8. Swiss Vreneli

9. British Britannia and Sovereign

10. American Buffalo, American Eagle, and Double Eagle

The 10,000-dollar Australian Gold Nugget is one of the world’s largest bullion coins. Minted by the Australian government, this bullion coin is made of 1 kilogram of 99.9% pure gold. Some other bullion coins larger than the Australian Gold Nugget have come out. However, these are not produced in mass quantities and are not practical to handle. Two examples are given here: One is the 100,000-euro Vienna Philharmonic, minted in 2004, which contains 31 kilograms of gold; the other is the 1 million-dollar Canadian Maple Leaf, minted in 2007, which contains 100 kilograms of gold.

Three factors – metal, purity, and weight – affect the value of bullion. The overall value of bullion is determined by the metal used. We know, of course, that platinum is worth more than gold, which, in turn, is worth more than silver. It is easy to understand, therefore, that silver bullion coins have become popular with collectors because of their relative affordability.

There’s a lot to understand about Precious Metals. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

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By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

In today’s world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.

Four of the nine known precious metals are regarded as investment commodities. Of these four, gold is the most popular. Investing in gold is a way of protecting against crises that may be brought about by economic or political instability or by social unrest.

There are at least six ways of investing in gold:

Buying gold coins:

This is the most popular way of investing in gold. Gold bullion coins are typically priced based on their weight; a premium is added to the gold spot price. Gold coins may be bought or sold over the counter in most Swiss banks.

Buying gold bars:

This is the most traditional way of investing in gold. As in gold bullion coins, bullion gold bars can be bought or sold over the counter in most Swiss banks, as well as in major banks in Liechtenstein and Austria. There also are bullion dealers that provide this same kind of service. Gold bars however are becoming less and less an option among investors due to the difficulties (in the verification process, transportation, and storage) associated with them.

Opening a gold account:

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Gold accounts are offered by most banks in Switzerland. Here, gold can be bought or sold in much the same way foreign currencies are dealt. A gold account is backed either through non-fungible (allocated) gold storage or pooled (unallocated) storage.

Owning a gold certificate:

A gold investor may opt to hold on to a gold certificate rather than store the physical gold bullion. The gold certificate allows the investor to buy and sell the security and do away with the many difficulties associated with the actual gold’s transfer.

Trading in Gold Exchange-Traded Funds (GETFs):

Trading in GETFs is like trading shares in, say, the New York Stock Exchange or the London Stock Exchange. Gold Bullion Securities, the first GETF introduced (in 2003, on the Australian Stock Exchange), stood for 1/10 of an ounce of gold. GETFs are a good means of gaining exposure to the price of gold, minus the inconvenience of storage. Trading in GETFs involves payment of commission and storage fee (charged on an annual basis). The expenses incurred in relation to the handling of the fund are charged through the selling of a certain amount of the gold as represented by the certificate. Over time, the amount of gold in the certificate, as may be expected, decreases.

Entering in a Contract For Difference (CFD):

Some of the noted financial services firms, especially those in the United Kingdom, provide Contract for Difference (CFD). In this gold investment vehicle, two parties (a “buyer” and a “seller”) enter into a contract, in which the seller agrees to pay the buyer the difference between the current value of gold and its value at contract time. In case the difference is negative, the seller receives payment instead from the buyer. A CFD, therefore, allows an investor to take advantage of long or short positions, enabling him/her to speculate on these markets.

In a related scenario, an investor may buy gold early in a condition where there is increased investor confidence. The investor then sells the gold before a general decline in the stock market sets in. Obviously in this case, the investor’s aim is to gain financially.

It never hurts to be well-informed with the latest on Precious Metals. Compare what you’ve learned here to future articles so that you can stay alert to changes in the area of Precious Metals.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

In the periodic table of the chemical elements, six metallic elements – all transition metals – are clustered together and lie in the d-block (the d-block in the periodic table refers to groups 8, 9, and 10, periods 5 and 6). These six elements are collectively referred to as the platinum group metals.

Of this group of metals, platinum is considered the most widely traded, as it is extensively used in the following: catalytic converters; dental alloys and other dentistry equipment; electrical conductors; resistive thermal devices, laboratory dishes and such other equipment capable of resisting chemical attack even in high temperature; and, of course, jewelry.

As a transition element, platinum is gray-white in appearance. Often because of this, it is mistaken for silver. Its other physical characteristics include its being malleable, ductile, and dense. But while platinum is generally resistant to corrosion, it is corroded by certain elements, such as cyanides (potassium cyanide or sodium cyanide), caustic alkalis, sulfur, and any of the five halogens (astatine, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, and iodine).

The following lists some of the properties of platinum:

General:

* Chemical Symbol: Pt

* Atomic Number: 78

* Category (as an element): Transition Metal

* Group/ Period/ Block (in the Periodic Table): 10/ 6/ d

* Atomic Weight: 195.084 g.mol-1

* Electron Configuration: [Xe] 4f14 5d9 6s1

Physical:

* Density (near room temperature): 21.45 g.cm-3

* Liquid Density (at melting point): 19.77 g.cm-3

* Melting Point: 1768.3°C, 3214.9°F, 2041.4°K

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* Boiling Point: 3825°C, 6917°F, 4098°K

* Heat of Fusion: 22.17 kJ.mol-1

* Heat of Vaporization: 469 kJ.mol-1

Atomic:

* Oxidation States: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, -1, -2

* Electronegativity: 2.28 (Pauling scale)

* Atomic Radius: 139 picometre

* Covalent Radius: 136±5 picometre

* Van der Waals Radius: 175 picometre

* Ionization Energies: 870 kJ.mol-1 (first), 1791 kJ.mol-1 (second)

Platinum is known to occur as only three thousandth parts-per notation (0.003 ppm) in the Earth’s crust. This makes it an extremely rare metal.

Compared to gold, platinum is more precious, although its price is considered more volatile. One of the reasons for this is that its demand is driven by industrial uses or applications. For example, its price tends to be double that of gold’s when world economy is stable, but significantly goes down in times of economic uncertainty.

Because it’s wear-resistant and does not tarnish, platinum is highly valued by jewelers, especially watchmakers. In 2008, its price went up to as high as 2,252 U.S. dollars per troy ounce.

Being rare and, therefore, very precious, platinum has been made synonymous to things that are considered “of the highest quality”. We hear for instance of a platinum debit card holder enjoying a wide range of privileges; or of a platinum award being handed out to a music album that has sold over a million copies.

Platinum’s rarity and preciousness has been so pronounced in fact as early as the Eighteenth century, that then French King Louis XV even made a declaration making platinum “the only metal fit for a king”.

Is there really any information about Precious Metals that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

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By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

Silver is like three other precious metals (gold, palladium, and platinum) in terms of being regarded as an investment commodity. In fact, this precious metal has been regarded as a form of currency and a store of value for over four centuries.

There are different ways by which one may invest in silver. Six are presented here:

Buying silver coins:

This is a popular way of taking hold of silver – physically. Perhaps the best example of a silver coin is the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf, which consists of 99.99% pure silver. Silver coins may either be “fine silver” or “junk silver”. Junk silver coins are older coins with a lower percentage of silver. Examples of these are the dime, quarter, and fifty-cent U.S. coins minted in 1964 or earlier. These coins contain 90% silver and are 8/10 troy ounce per 1 USD of face value.

Buying silver bullion bars:

This is the most traditional way of investing in silver. Silver bullion bars can be bought or sold over the counter in most banks in Switzerland. They may be stored in safe deposit boxes in banks or placed in non-fungible (allocated) or pooled (unallocated) storage with a silver dealer.

Opening a silver account:

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Precious Metals. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

An investor may open a silver account with one of the major banks in Switzerland. Here, silver can be bought or sold over the counter just like any foreign currency. However, the bank client does not own the actual silver metal. Instead, he/she has a claim against the bank for a specified quantity of the metal. A silver account is backed through either allocated or unallocated storage.

Owning a silver certificate:

In lieu of storing actual silver bullion, an investor may opt for ownership of a silver certificate. A silver certificate allows an investor to buy and sell the security sans the inconveniences associated with the physical silver’s transfer. The Perth Mint Certificate Programme, which is fully guaranteed by the Government of Western Australia, is the only silver certificate program in the world that is guaranteed by a national government.

Trading in Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs):

An investor can have an easy way of gaining exposure to the price of silver through an ETF. Some of the well-known ETFs include iShares Silver Trust (with ticker symbol NYSE: SLV), Central Fund of Canada (with ticker symbols TSX: CEF.NV.A, NYSE: CEF), and ETFS Silver Trust (with ticker symbol NYSE: SIVR). Trading in ETFs means doing away with the inconveniences associated with the handling of physical silver bars.

Entering in a Contract For Difference (CFD):

Some of the noted financial services firms, especially those in the United Kingdom, provide Contract for Difference (CFD). In this silver investment vehicle, two parties (a “buyer” and a “seller”) enter into a contract, in which the seller agrees to pay the buyer the difference between the current value of silver and its value at contract time. In case the difference is negative, the seller receives payment instead from the buyer. A CFD, therefore, allows an investor to take advantage of long or short positions, enabling him/her to speculate on these markets.

It must be mentioned here though that silver has lost its forced tender status in the United States since the abandonment of the silver standard, when, on August 15, 1967, then U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announced that the U.S. would discontinue redeeming currency for silver (or any other precious metal).

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Precious Metals. When people start looking for more information about Precious Metals, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

Silver is generally described as a soft, white, lustrous metallic chemical element. It occurs naturally in its pure form, as an alloy with other metallic elements (especially gold), and in chlorargyrite and other minerals. As one of three coinage metals (the other two being copper and gold), silver is very malleable and ductile.

Of the different metals, silver is known to have the highest thermal conductivity. Similarly of the different known elements, silver has the highest electrical conductivity. Provided below are some of the properties of this precious metal.

General:

? Chemical Symbol: Ag

? Atomic Number: 47

? Category (as an element): Transition Metal

? Group/ Period/ Block (in the Periodic Table): 11/ 5/ d

? Atomic Weight: 107.8682 g.mol-1

? Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 5s1

Physical:

? Density (near room temperature): 10.49 g.cm-3

? Liquid Density (at melting point): 9.320 g.cm-3

? Melting Point: 961.78°C, 1234.93°F, 2041.4°K

? Boiling Point: 2162°C, 3924°F, 2435°K

? Heat of Fusion: 11.28 kJ.mol-1

? Heat of Vaporization: 250.58 kJ.mol-1

Atomic:

? Oxidation States: 1, 2, 3

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? Electronegativity: 1.93 (Pauling scale)

? Atomic Radius: 144 picometre

? Covalent Radius: 145±5 picometre

? Van der Waals Radius: 172 picometre

? Ionization Energies: 731 kJ.mol-1 (first), 2070 kJ.mol-1 (second), 3361 kJ.mol-1 (third)

Despite having higher electrical conductivity than copper, silver isn’t as much used for electrical purposes as copper is. There are two reasons for this: first is that silver has a greater tendency to tarnish; and second is that silver is much more expensive.

As a precious metal, silver has been much valued for ages with its so many applications, as in the following:

1. Jewelry (sterling silver is used in making fine jewelry and watches).

2. Silverware (sterling silver is also used in making utensils, tableware and ornaments).

3. Photography (silver nitrate and silver halides are used in making films).

4. Electrical and electronic products (silver paints are used in making printed circuits; silver electrical contacts are used in making computer keyboards).

5. Dentistry (silver-mercury alloy is used in making dental amalgams).

6. Optics and mirrors.

7. Various industrial and commercial uses (silver is ideal for use as a catalyst in chemical reactions).

8. Clothing (silver ions are mixed with the polymer to make yarns).

9. Medicine (silver compounds and silver ions have toxic effect on some viruses, fungi and bacteria, but not on humans).

10. Currency or coinage (as in silver bullion).

The principal sources of silver are copper, lead, zinc and gold ores. It also occurs in the minerals chlorargyrite and argentite. Of course, silver occurs natively, too. Some of the top silver-producing countries in the world are the United States, Canada, Peru, and Mexico. Fine silver, which has no less than 99.9% silver, is available commercially.

Because of competing store-of-value and industrial demands, the price of silver has fluctuated considerably over the last century. As of the beginning of 2010, the price of this precious metal is estimated at about 18 U.S. dollars per troy ounce (or 588 U.S. dollars per kilogram).

That’s how things stand right now. Keep in mind that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with the latest news.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

If you’re seriously interested in knowing about Precious Metals, you need to think beyond the basics. This informative article takes a closer look at things you need to know about Precious Metals.

Bullion coins are coins made from precious metals. Their market values are determined by their inherent precious metal contents. As such bullion coins are mainly kept as investments or stores of value.

Most of the bullion coins available are made from silver or gold. A few also come in platinum though, including the American Platinum Eagle, the Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf, the Australian Platinum Koala, and the Manx Noble. Here’s a quick rundown of each of these four platinum bullion coins:

The American Platinum Eagle:

The American Platinum Eagle bullion coins were first minted and released in 1997 by the United States Mint. They are offered in four varieties:

1. 1/10 ounce (oz.) coin – With a face value of USD10, 3.112 grams (g) in weight, 0.95 millimeters (mm) thick, and 16.5 mm in diameter.

2. 1/4 oz. coin – With a face value of USD25, 7.78 g in weight, 1.32 mm thick, and 22 mm in diameter.

3. 1/2 oz. coin – With a face value of USD50, 15.56 g in weight, 1.75 mm thick, and 27 mm in diameter.

4. 1 oz. coin – With a face value of USD100, 31.12 g in weight, 2.39 mm thick, and 32.7 mm in diameter.

All coin varieties consist of 0.9995 fine platinum. One interesting feature of the American Platinum Eagle coin is that its reverse design changes every year.

The Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf:

The Canadian Platinum Maple Leaf bullion coins were issued from 1988 until 2002 by the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM). They were offered in four varieties: 1/10 oz. coin (with a face value (FV) of CD5), 1/4 oz. coin (FV: CD10), 1/2 oz. coin (FV: CD20), and 1 oz. coin (FV: CD50).

Two additional varieties, 1/20 oz. coin (FV: CD1) and 1/15 oz. coin (FV: CD2), were issued by RCM, but only in 1994. In 2009, the 1 oz. coin was reintroduced. All coins, which have legal tender status in Canada, consist of 0.9995 pure platinum.

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The Australian Platinum Koala:

The Australian Platinum Koala bullion coins were first released in 1988 by the Perth Mint, the oldest currently operating mint in Australia. The coin comes in 1 oz. variety, with a face value of AD100. As with most other bullion coins, this value is much lower than the coin’s bullion value.

On the coin’s obverse is a koala, in sunken relief (i.e., lowered from the coin’s plane); on the reverse is Queen Elizabeth II. The coin has legal tender status in Australia.

The Manx Noble:

The Manx Noble platinum bullion coins were minted from 1983 to 1989 by the Pobjoy Mint, the leading private mint in Europe. The coins were offered in five varieties:

1. 1/20 oz. coin – With 1.555 g platinum content, 1.556 g in weight, and 13.9 mm in diameter.

2. 1/10 ounce coin – With 3.11 g platinum content, 3.112 g in weight, and 16.5 mm in diameter.

3. 1/4 ounce coin – With 7.776 g platinum content, 7.78 g in weight, and 22 mm in diameter.

4. 1/2 ounce coin – With 15.552 g platinum content, 15.6 g in weight, and 27 mm in diameter.

5. 1 ounce coin – With 31.103 g platinum content, 31.119 g in weight, and 32.7 mm in diameter.

The coins have no currency value. Their value, rather, is equal to their respective platinum contents. All coins consist of 0.9995 pure platinum.

On the coin’s obverse is Queen Elizabeth II, along with these texts: “ISLE OF MAN” and “ELIZABETH II”. On the reverse are a Viking ship, the denomination, platinum content, and the words “Platinum fine”.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

The following paragraphs summarize the work of Precious Metals experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of Precious Metals. Heed their advice to avoid any Precious Metals surprises.

Items of jewelry or art made of precious metals are hallmarked based on specific requirements either of the country of import or the place of manufacture. Such items, particularly those made of silver, gold, or platinum, are struck with an official mark (or series of marks), which guarantees fineness or purity of the metal used.

To determine the precious metal content in an item, certain non-destructive assay techniques are used. Two examples are the touchstone method (a very old assay method) and the X-ray fluorescence method (the modern, non-destructive assay method). While these assay methods are suited for finished goods (again because they are non-destructive), three other methods are more suited for raw precious metals:

Titration:

This assay method is one of the most widely used laboratory technique, which involves the analysis and determination of unknown concentration of a given reactant. It is used to assay silver bullion or stock. In this method, a reagent (titrant) of a known volume and concentration is utilized to react with a solution of the substance being analyzed (titrand), whose concentration is unknown.

With the use of an instrument called burette (to add the titrant), the exact consumed amount, on reaching the endpoint, can be determined. The endpoint refers to the point at which the assay is complete. The completion is signaled by an indicator. There are at least four types of titration. These are acid-base, redox, complexometric, and Zeta potential.

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Cupellation:

This technique is considered the most exact, elaborate, and destructive method of assay and is best suited for gold bullion or stock. Also called fire assay, the method involves treating ores or alloyed metals under high temperatures and carefully controlled operations to separate gold from base metals (copper, zinc, or lead), which may be present in the ore. Once the base metals are heated at high temperatures, the gold (as well as the other precious metals that may be present) remains apart and the other non-precious metals react forming other compounds. Cupellation basically has two processes: large scale and small scale.

Spectrometry:

This method is best used to assay platinum bullion or stock. With the use of a spectrometer or spectrograph, the amount or concentration of a given substance is assessed. The substances are identified through the spectrum they absorb or emit. This assay method has several types. These include absorption, fluorescence, X-ray, flame, visible, ultraviolet, infrared, photoemission, Mossbauer, nuclear magnetic resonance, and Raman.

Again, the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method is the modern assay method widely used today for analyzing precious metals, including (besides silver, gold, and platinum) rhenium, ruthenium, iridium, and palladium. As a non-destructive assay method, XRF can identify various elements in a substance (in fact, even in powder and liquid ones) within a few minutes.

One of the most important aspects in any of the assay methods pertains to the accurate determination of the composition of a substance at various points in the process. Controlling and minimizing metal losses can only be achieved through close monitoring of the composition of the work in progress.

The day will come when you can use something you read about here to have a beneficial impact. Then you’ll be glad you took the time to learn more about Precious Metals.

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By Anders Eriksson, proud owner of this top ranked web hosting reseller site: GVO

In the periodic table of elements, rhenium is found as a third-row transition metal in group 7. Known to be one of the rarest precious metals in the Earth’s crust, rhenium has an average concentration of 1 part per billion. It is obtained mainly as a by-product of the refinement of two other chemical elements – copper and molybdenum.

Rhenium was discovered as a trace element in the mineral columbite and in platinum ores. Three German chemists – Otto Berg and the couple Walter Noddack and Ida Tacke – made the discovery in 1925. This find made rhenium the last identified naturally occurring precious metal with stable isotopes. Actually, naturally occurring rhenium is composed of 2 stable isotopes and 26 unstable ones.

Following is a list of some of the properties of rhenium:

General:

? Chemical Symbol: Re

? Atomic Number: 75

? Category (as an element): Transition Metal

? Group/ Period/ Block (in the Periodic Table): 7/ 6/ d

? Atomic Weight: 186.207 g.mol-1

? Electron Configuration: [Xe] 4f14 5d5 6s2

Physical:

? Density (near room temperature): 21.02 g.cm-3

? Liquid Density (at melting point): 18.9 g.cm-3

? Melting Point: 3186°C, 5767°F, 3459°K

? Boiling Point: 5596°C, 10105°F, 5869°K

? Heat of Fusion: 60.43 kJ.mol-1

? Heat of Vaporization: 704 kJ.mol-1

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Atomic:

? Oxidation States: 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, -1

? Electronegativity: 1.9 (Pauling scale)

? Atomic Radius: 137 picometre

? Covalent Radius: 151±7 picometre

? Ionization Energies: 760 kJ.mol-1 (first), 1260 kJ.mol-1 (second), 2510 kJ.mol-1 (third)

Rhenium is silvery-white in appearance. It is the third element (after tungsten and carbon) with the highest melting point and the fourth densest (after platinum, iridium, and osmium). Commercially, rhenium is traded in powder form. Its principal application is in the making of certain parts of jet engines. Here, the metal is added to high-temperature nickel-based superalloys.

Other uses of rhenium are as follows:

1. As catalysts in making lead-free, high-octane gasoline.

2. As filaments in making ion gauges, mass spectrographs, and photoflash lamps.

3. As electrical contact materials, due to its high resistance to arc corrosion and wear.

4. As catalysts for hydrogenation of fine chemicals, because of its high resistance to chemical poisoning from phosphorus, sulfur, and nitrogen.

5. As treatment for liver cancer, because of its radioactive isotopes.

Rhenium resources are identified in several countries, which include Chile, Peru, Armenia, Mexico, Russia, Canada, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. The estimated total resource from these eight countries is 6,000 tonnes (6 million kilograms).

The United States alone, on the other hand, has an estimated total resource of 5,000 tonnes (5 million kilograms). These are identified in the states of Arizona, Miami, and Utah. But in spite of these significant resources, the U.S. continues to import a big part of its total consumption of the precious metal from some of the countries mentioned above.

Since rhenium and its compounds are used in very small amounts, very little is known about their toxicity. So far, only a few rhenium compounds have been tested for toxicity, and these include rhenium trichloride and potassium perrhenate.

The price of rhenium is about 250 U.S. dollars per troy ounce (about 8,300 U.S. dollars per kilogram).

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About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

The following paragraphs summarize the work of Precious Metals experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of Precious Metals. Heed their advice to avoid any Precious Metals surprises.

Palladium is a rare precious metal characterized by its lustrous silvery-white appearance. It was discovered by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston in London, England in 1803, along with his discovery (together with Smithson Tennant, another English chemist) of the other metals in the platinum group. The name “palladium” was coined by Wollaston from the asteroid named “Pallas”.

Of the different precious metals in the platinum group (which includes iridium, platinum, osmium, rhodium, and ruthenium), palladium is known to be the least dense. It likewise has the lowest melting point.

Palladium is utilized in many applications because of its unique properties, some of which are provided below.

General:

? Chemical Symbol: Pd

? Atomic Number: 46

? Category (as an element): Transition Metal

? Group/ Period/ Block (in the Periodic Table): 10/ 5/ d

? Atomic Weight: 106.42 g.mol-1

? Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10

Physical:

? Density (near room temperature): 12.023 g.cm-3

? Liquid Density (at melting point): 10.38 g.cm-3

? Melting Point: 1554.9°C, 2830.82°F, 1828.05°K

? Boiling Point: 2963°C, 5365°F, 3236°K

? Heat of Fusion: 16.74 kJ.mol-1

? Heat of Vaporization: 362 kJ.mol-1

Atomic:

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? Oxidation States: 0, +1, +2, +4, +6

? Electronegativity: 2.2 (Pauling scale)

? Atomic Radius: 137 picometre

? Covalent Radius: 139±6 picometre

? Van der Waals Radius: 163 picometre

? Ionization Energies: 804.4 kJ.mol-1 (first), 1870 kJ.mol-1 (second), 3177 kJ.mol-1 (third)

Palladium is used in the following:

1. Catalytic converters;

2. Jewelry and watch making;

3. Dentistry and surgical instruments;

4. Aircraft spark plugs;

5. Electrical contacts;

6. Connector platings;

7. Manuscript illumination.

Since the late 1930s, palladium has been utilized as a precious metal in jewelry. Because of its naturally white properties, palladium has been used as an alternative to white gold. Along with silver and nickel, palladium is popularly used in making white gold alloys.

According to the British Geological Survey (BGS), the top four palladium-producing countries in the world are Russia, South Africa, Canada, and the United States (in this order). Russia produces at least half of the total amount of palladium produced in the world.

Commercially, palladium is produced from copper-nickel deposits in Siberia, South Africa, and in Ontario in Canada. The precious metal is also found – alloyed with the other metals in the platinum group as well as with gold – in Ethiopia, Australia, North and South America, and in the Ural Mountains in Russia.

The Norilsk Nickel Mining and Metallurgical Company in northern Russia is the largest single producer of palladium in the world. Significant amounts of mineable palladium are also found in two other places: the Lac des Îles igneous complex in northwestern Ontario, Canada and the Stillwater igneous complex in the state of Montana in the United States.

Such is the rarity and preciousness of palladium that many metric tons of ore have to be processed to obtain just a troy ounce of the precious metal. The ISO currency codes of palladium, as a commodity, are XPD and 964. Its price is approximately 150 U.S. dollars per troy ounce.

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About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of Precious Metals is certainly no exception.

A metal is considered “precious” if it is rare and is of high economic value. Under these two factors, nine metallic chemical elements qualify as precious metals. These are, in no particular order, gold, palladium, silver, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, platinum, osmium, and rhenium.

So that while the chemical element tellurium is considered one of the rarest element in the Earth’s crust (its mass abundance being the same as that of rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium), its estimated price is only less than 5 U.S. dollars per troy ounce, and, therefore, cannot be considered a precious metal. The same can be said of bismuth, which has a mass abundance half less than that of palladium, but with a price of only a little more than a tenth of tellurium’s price.

In terms of mass abundance, expressed in parts per billion (ppb), here’s how the nine precious metals are ranked (rare to rarest): 9th: silver (75 ppb); 8th: palladium (15 ppb); 7th: gold (4 ppb); 6th: osmium (1.5 ppb); 5th to 3rd: iridium, rhodium, and ruthenium (1 ppb); 2nd: rhenium (0.7 ppb); and 1st: platinum (0.003 ppb).

The ranking appears different when the estimated world market prices, per troy ounce, of these nine precious metals are considered (estimates as of January 2010):

1st: Rhodium – USD2,750

2nd: Platinum – USD1,555

3rd: Gold – USD1,131

4th: Palladium – USD424

5th: Iridium – USD408

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6th: Osmium – USD380

7th: Rhenium – USD194

8th: Ruthenium – USD173

9th: Silver – USD18

Of the nine precious metals, gold and silver are the best known. Apart from being traditional coinage metals (along with copper), both gold and silver are also well known for their uses in jewelry and art; they likewise have certain industrial uses.

A third important factor that will qualify an element as a precious metal, as may be noted from the uses of gold and silver above, is that it should not be radioactive. Thus, the chemical elements actinium, polonium, and radium are not considered precious metals because they are highly radioactive.

Compared to most other elements, precious metals are chemically less reactive, have higher melting points, and are more ductile – properties that make them ideal for many commercial and industrial applications.

In earlier times, precious metals were mainly used as currency. Today, however, they are highly regarded as investment and industrial commodities. Four of them, in fact – silver, gold, platinum, and palladium -, are minted into coins or cast into ingots and traded on commodity markets. All four are assigned the ISO 4217 currency code.

Hence, the role of precious metals as investments, on top of their practical use, drives the demand for them. For thousands of years, precious metals have demanded prices that are much higher than those of common industrial metals, such as nickel (about 36 cents per troy ounce) and copper (about 11 cents per troy ounce). As a matter of fact, there have been significant increases in the prices of precious metals at the turn of the Twenty-First century. This has encouraged many enterprises to go into precious metal recycling.

You can’t predict when knowing something extra about Precious Metals will come in handy. If you learned anything new about Precious Metals in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his top ranked GVO affiliate site: GVO