Basic Information:
Symbol: Rh
Atomic Number: 45
Protons/electrons: 45
Neutrons: 58
Melting point: 1966.0 degrees celsius
Atomic mass: 102.9055
Group: 9
Period: 5
Classification: Transition metals
Symbol: Rh
Atomic Number: 45
Protons/electrons: 45
Neutrons: 58
Melting point: 1966.0 degrees celsius
Atomic mass: 102.9055
Group: 9
Period: 5
Classification: Transition metals
History:
The element Rhodium was discovered in 1803 by an English scientist/chemist named William Wollaston. He and his collaborator, Smithson Tennant, discovered Rhodium shortly after Wollaston discovered palladium. He came across Rhodium when removing the palladium and platinum from
an ore from South America, and what was left was a red powder that was sodium rhodium
chloride, and when adding hydrogen, he obtained pure rhodium.
The element Rhodium was discovered in 1803 by an English scientist/chemist named William Wollaston. He and his collaborator, Smithson Tennant, discovered Rhodium shortly after Wollaston discovered palladium. He came across Rhodium when removing the palladium and platinum from
an ore from South America, and what was left was a red powder that was sodium rhodium
chloride, and when adding hydrogen, he obtained pure rhodium.
Appearance:
Rhodium is hard, shiny, and durable, and has a silverish white-ish coloring to it.
Rhodium is hard, shiny, and durable, and has a silverish white-ish coloring to it.
Abundance:
Rhodium is the rarest of the non-radioactive metals, and one of the rarest elements overall.
Rhodium occurs in riversands in North America, South America, and Canada, normally in an ore combined with other metals in the platinum group.
Rhodium is the rarest of the non-radioactive metals, and one of the rarest elements overall.
Rhodium occurs in riversands in North America, South America, and Canada, normally in an ore combined with other metals in the platinum group.
How is it used in every day life?
Rhodium is used for many things like electroplating, filters in mammography, coating optical
mirrors, headlight reflectors, and electrical contact material. Its most common use is it is
in catalytic converters, and its nickname is "the catalytic converter". It's job in catalytic converters is to, along with a few other substances, filter the exhaust of the vehicle (airplanes, cars, trucks, etc.) into a safer substance to help de-pollute the environment. It replaces the harmful chemicals in car exhaust like carbon monoxide into safer substances. Without rhodium, scientists probably would
have found some other element to do its job, but it would be fairly hard, so rhodium is very important to the de-pollution of the environment. It is also used in jewelry for coatings and it is
fairly common to find rhodium plated things even though it is a very rare element.
Rhodium is used for many things like electroplating, filters in mammography, coating optical
mirrors, headlight reflectors, and electrical contact material. Its most common use is it is
in catalytic converters, and its nickname is "the catalytic converter". It's job in catalytic converters is to, along with a few other substances, filter the exhaust of the vehicle (airplanes, cars, trucks, etc.) into a safer substance to help de-pollute the environment. It replaces the harmful chemicals in car exhaust like carbon monoxide into safer substances. Without rhodium, scientists probably would
have found some other element to do its job, but it would be fairly hard, so rhodium is very important to the de-pollution of the environment. It is also used in jewelry for coatings and it is
fairly common to find rhodium plated things even though it is a very rare element.
Cost:
Rhodium costs about $10,000 per ounce (although the price is gradually decreasing).
Rhodium costs about $10,000 per ounce (although the price is gradually decreasing).
Reactivity:
Rhodium is fairly reactive, occasionally bonds with the halogens, and often forms an ore with Platinum (and other elements in the platinum group). When heated, Rhodium combines slowly with oxygen, and reacts with chlorine or bromine when hot, however it does not react with fluorine, which reacts with almost all elements.
Rhodium is fairly reactive, occasionally bonds with the halogens, and often forms an ore with Platinum (and other elements in the platinum group). When heated, Rhodium combines slowly with oxygen, and reacts with chlorine or bromine when hot, however it does not react with fluorine, which reacts with almost all elements.
Interesting Facts:
- makes up about 0.00002% of the Earth's crust
- VERY shiny (used in headlight reflectors)
- has only 1 valence electron
- only one stable isotope (Rh-103)
- 25 radioactive isotopes
- very hard to extract from ores
- about 87.2% of Rhodium goes into building catalytic converters
- withstands the destruction of many harmful acids and other powerful chemicals
Sources:
Electronic
Non-electronic
Electronic
- "Rhodium." - Element Information, Properties and Uses. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
- "Rhodium Facts." Rhodium Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
- "RHODIUM." Rhodium, Chemical Element. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
- "Rhodium." Chemicool Periodic Table. Chemicool.com. 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
- "Rhodium: Reactions of Elements." Rhodium»reactions of Elements [WebElements Periodic Table]. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
- "Science Education at Jefferson Lab." Science Education at Jefferson Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Non-electronic
- Emsley, John. Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
- Gray, Theodore W., and Nick Mann. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.
