46

Pd

Rhodium
106.42 (1)
Historical Information

William Hyde Wollaston discovered palladium in 1803-4 in crude platinum ore from South America. He dissolved the ore in aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids), neutralised the acid with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and precipitated the platinum by treatment with ammonium chloride, NH4Cl, as ammonium chloroplatinate.

Basic Information Shells
  • Name: Palladium
  • Symbol: Pd
  • Atomic number: 46
  • Atomic weight: 106.42 (1)
  • Standard state: solid at 298 K
  • Group in periodic table: 10
  • Group name:Precious metal or Platinum group metal
  • Period in periodic table: 5
  • Block in periodic table: d-block
  • Classification: Metallic
 palladium
Uses Trivia
  • used to purify hydrogen gas
  • used to make electrical contacts
  • used in fine instruments such as watches and some surgical instruments

Palladium is a steel-white metal, does not tarnish in air, and is the least dense and lowest melting of the platinum group metals. When annealed, it is soft and ductile.