Rhodium

History

Rhodium was discovered in 1803 in England by chemist William Gaidov Wollaston. He received it from a sample of platinum from South America. The name received from the Greek «pink», as the majority of rhodium compounds are dark red.

Nowadays

Rhodium is a platinum group metals. He has a high resistance to aggressive media and high temperatures. One of the main applications of rhodium is connected with extraction of nitric acid. So far not found an alternative more efficient way. Then the use of rhodium comes in the glass industry, where it makes the vessels for melting. In rare cases, rhodium is used in the jewelry production, because it is very expensive and difficult to handle.