The periodic table/Platinum

Discovery
Platinum was discovered by astronomers Antonio de Ulloa and Don Jorge Juan y Santacilia in 1735. However, the first European reference to platinum appears in 1557 in the writings of the Italian humanist, Julius Caesar Scaliger (1484-1558). Charles Wood independently isolated the element in 1741. The alchemical symbol for platinum was made by joining the symbols of silver and gold.

Quick Facts
Name: platinum atom

Symbol: Pt

Atomic Mass: 195.08 amu

Classification: Transition Metals

Protons: 78

Electrons: 78

Neutrons: 117

Colour: silvery-white

Discovery in: 1735

Density: 21.45 g/cm3

Crystal Structure: cubic

Melting Point: 1780 °C (2041 K)

Boiling Point: 3825 °C (4098 K)

Common Uses: used in catalytic converters for automobiles, coating missile nose cones, jet engine fuel nozzles, medical treatments of cancer