Platinum (Pt): Element 78, Properties, Uses and Facts

Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt, atomic number 78 and CAS number 7440-06-4, a silvery metal 11% denser than gold that melts at 1768.3 °C and dissolves only in aqua regia. Vehicle catalysts took 41.5% of platinum demand in 2025, according to Johnson Matthey.

What Is Platinum?#

Platinum is a dense, oxidation-resistant transition metal and the best-known of the six platinum group metals (PGMs). It is silvery-white and ductile, yet it resists the acids and hot air that attack most metals. Its five sister metals, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium, occur in the same ores and are refined together.

The six platinum group metals (PGMs) split into a light trio near 12 g/cm3 and a heavy trio above 21 g/cm3, and platinum belongs to the heavy trio. Platinum demand reached 8,019 thousand troy ounces (koz), about 249 tonnes, in 2025, according to Johnson Matthey's PGM Market Report (May 2026).

Is Platinum an Element, a Compound or a Mixture?#

Platinum is an element, not a compound or a mixture: it is made of one kind of atom, each with 78 protons. A compound, such as chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6), bonds platinum to other elements in a fixed ratio. Is jewelry platinum pure element? Jewelry platinum is usually an alloy, a mixture: Pt950 holds 950 parts per thousand platinum plus ruthenium, iridium, cobalt, copper or tungsten.

What Type of Element Is Platinum?#

Platinum is a transition metal in PubChem's classification and belongs to three overlapping groups: the platinum group metals, the noble metals and the precious metals. It is a transition element, not a representative (main-group) element. The four classes are listed below.

• Transition metal: a group 10 element filling the 5d shell.
• Platinum group metal: one of six metals (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) mined and refined together.
• Noble metal: a metal that resists oxidation and acids; platinum dissolves only in aqua regia.
• Precious metal: a metal traded by the troy ounce as bullion and coins.

The trade definition of noble metals is under noble metals.

Platinum on the Periodic Table#

Platinum sits in group 10 and period 6 of the periodic table, between iridium (77) and gold (79). Palladium (46) sits directly above it in group 10, and period 6 holds the heavy 5d metals osmium, iridium, platinum and gold.

Platinum Element Symbol and Name#

The element symbol for platinum is Pt, the first two letters of a name that comes from the Spanish platina, "little silver". Scientific Latin turned platina into platinum, and the symbol differs by one letter from Pd, palladium.

Platinum's Group, Period and Element Family#

Platinum's element family is the platinum group: ruthenium (44), rhodium (45), palladium (46), osmium (76), iridium (77) and platinum (78). Ruthenium, rhodium and palladium fill the 4d row near 12 g/cm3; osmium, iridium and platinum fill the 5d row above 21 g/cm3. Lanthanide contraction and relativistic effects keep the 5d atoms nearly as small as the 4d atoms while their mass nearly doubles. The six are compared below.

Platinum Atomic Mass, Electron Configuration and Charge#

Platinum has a standard atomic weight of 195.084 (CIAAW) and the electron configuration [Xe] 4f¹⁴ 5d⁹ 6s¹; as an element it has no charge, and its ions carry +2 or +4. The CIAAW value, 195.084(9), has stood since 2005; PubChem rounds it to 195.08. A naive filling count predicts 5d⁸ 6s², but platinum keeps nine electrons in 5d and one in 6s.

Which charge does platinum take in compounds? Platinum(II) and platinum(IV) are common, as in PtCl2 and PtCl4, and the observed range runs from -3 to +6. Its Pauling electronegativity is 2.28 and its first ionization energy 870 kJ/mol.

Orbital diagrams and every oxidation state are on platinum electron configuration and oxidation states.

Platinum Isotopes: Is Platinum Radioactive?#

Natural platinum is very weakly radioactive: 0.012% of it is platinum-190, an alpha emitter with a half-life of 4.83 × 10¹¹ years; its other five natural isotopes are stable. That half-life far exceeds the age of the universe, so natural platinum is effectively stable. The CIAAW abundances are listed below.

Thirty-four synthetic radioisotopes, platinum-165 to platinum-204, are covered on platinum isotopes and radioactivity.

Key Properties of the Platinum Element#

Platinum combines high density (21.452 g/cm3), a high melting point (1768.3 °C), softness, ductility and resistance to chemical attack. The measured values and their conditions are listed below.

Sources and conditions for each value are on platinum properties.

Density: How Heavy Is Platinum?#

Platinum has a density of 21.452 g/cm3 at 20 °C, about 11% denser than gold (19.283) and about 1.8 times as dense as palladium (12.007). One troy ounce (31.1034768 g) of platinum therefore fills only 1.45 cm3. Only osmium (22.587) and iridium (22.562) are denser among the PGMs; conversions are on platinum density.

Melting Point and Boiling Point#

Platinum melts at 1768.3 °C (2041.4 K, 3214.9 °F) and boils at 3825 °C (4098 K), 704 °C above gold's melting point and 213 °C above palladium's. Unlike silver and gold, platinum's melting point is not a defining fixed point of ITS-90, only a secondary reference point. Phase data are on platinum melting point and boiling point.

Hardness, Ductility and Workability#

Pure platinum is soft: 3.5 on the Mohs scale and about 40 HV when annealed (Johnson Matthey table), so jewelry and industrial platinum is usually alloyed. Cold working raises it to about 90 to 100 HV, and platinum with 50% iridium exceeds 500 HV. Britannica describes platinum as very ductile, workable hot or cold.

Is Platinum Magnetic?#

A magnet does not stick to platinum: the metal is only weakly paramagnetic (+201.9 × 10⁻⁶ cm3/mol) and keeps no magnetism. Palladium responds more strongly (+567.4), and this low susceptibility helped select platinum-iridium for the kilogram standard. Whether platinum is magnetic under test is covered on is platinum magnetic.

Chemical Reactivity: Acids and Aqua Regia#

Platinum resists nitric and hydrochloric acid on their own and dissolves only in aqua regia, their 1:3 mix, which attacks it as an oxidant plus a chloride ligand. Why does neither acid work alone? Nitric acid supplies about +0.958 V, below the +1.188 V needed to form Pt²⁺, and hydrochloric acid is no oxidant; in aqua regia, chloride binds platinum as [PtCl6]²⁻ and lowers that threshold.

Pt + 4 HNO3 + 6 HCl → H2PtCl6 + 4 NO2 + 4 H2O

Refiners dissolve platinum this way while rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium stay behind as residue, a separation described under aqua regia. Platinum and rhodium are also the only PGMs usable as bare metal in flowing air above 1200 °C.

Platinum Safety: Metal Dust vs Soluble Salts#

NIOSH recommends an exposure limit of 1 mg/m3 for platinum metal, while OSHA and NIOSH set 0.002 mg/m3 for soluble platinum salts (as Pt), 500 times stricter (NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards). OSHA sets no limit for the metal itself; the strict limit targets salts such as the chloroplatinates used in refining. Exposure routes are covered on platinum toxicity.

Platinum Compared With Gold, Silver and Palladium#

Platinum is denser and has a higher melting point than gold, silver and palladium, but palladium is harder (Mohs 4.75 against 3.5). The four are compared below.

An identical platinum piece weighs 1.79 times as much as palladium, the white metal most often confused with it; prices and uses are compared on platinum vs palladium.

What Is the Element Platinum Used For?#

The element platinum is used for five main purposes: vehicle catalysts, industrial catalysts and equipment, jewelry, investment bars and coins, and sensors and electrodes. The five are listed below with Johnson Matthey's 2025 demand where it reports one.

1. Vehicle catalysts: 3,329 koz, cleaning exhaust since the 1975 US model year.
2. Industrial catalysts and equipment: 2,627 koz, led by chemical catalysts (614 koz).
3. Jewelry: 1,507 koz, the third-largest line.
4. Investment bars and coins: 556 koz of net buying.
5. Sensors and electrodes: thermometers, thermocouples and fuel-cell electrodes, spread across the lines above.

Each of the five platinum uses is expanded on platinum uses.

Platinum Demand by Sector in 2025#

Automotive catalysts took 41.5% of platinum demand in 2025 (3,329 of 8,019 thousand ounces), according to Johnson Matthey's PGM Market Report (May 2026). The four sectors are listed below.

Johnson Matthey basis, May 2026; WPIC figures differ.

Johnson Matthey forecasts 7,402 koz of total demand for 2026. Segment and regional detail is tracked on platinum demand.

The World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) counts 8,431 koz of 2025 demand on its own, differently bounded series. Its Platinum Quarterly for Q2 2026 (9 September 2026) forecasts 2026 industrial demand up 5%, jewelry down 15%, automotive down 4% and investment at a net outflow of 83 koz.

Industrial and Scientific Uses of Platinum#

Industrial platinum demand, 2,627 thousand ounces in 2025 on Johnson Matthey's basis, comes from seven end uses led by chemical catalysts, each resting on one property, as listed below.

Pt100 resistance sensors read 100.00 Ω at 0 °C under IEC 60751:2022, from -200 °C to +850 °C. PEM fuel cells need platinum at the cathode, where only platinum and its alloys combine enough oxygen-reduction activity with corrosion resistance in the acidic membrane.

All 22 shared applications are listed under uses of platinum group metals.

Platinum Compounds and Alloys#

Platinum compounds, such as chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) and Adams' catalyst (PtO2), carry its chemistry, and platinum alloys, such as Pt950 and platinum-iridium, carry its engineering uses. Chloroplatinic acid (CAS 16941-12-1) is the precursor for catalysts and plating; Adams' catalyst (CAS 1314-15-4) hydrogenates. In 1962, Neil Bartlett reacted platinum hexafluoride with xenon, making the first noble-gas compound. More platinum compounds are on platinum compounds, and clinical complexes on platinum in medicine.

Platinum alloys trade purity for hardness. Jewelry Pt950 adds ruthenium, iridium, cobalt, copper or tungsten, as explained under 950 platinum. Platinum with 10% iridium formed the kilogram prototype, and platinum with 10% rhodium, paired with pure platinum, forms the Type S thermocouple; compositions are on platinum alloys.

Where Is Platinum Found?#

Platinum is found mainly in layered igneous intrusions, above all the Bushveld Complex of South Africa, as native metal and minerals such as sperrylite (PtAs2). The USGS (Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026) places the world's largest PGM resources and reserves in the Bushveld Complex.

Platinum forms discrete mineral grains, such as isoferroplatinum (Pt3Fe), cooperite (PtS) and braggite ((Pt,Pd,Ni)S), rather than entering base-metal sulfides (USGS Professional Paper 1802-N). River placers supplied almost all production until about 1920; the Urals alone have yielded 330 to 435 tonnes since 1824, and nuggets can weigh several kilograms.

Ores and reefs are detailed on where platinum is found.

How Rare Is Platinum on Earth?#

Platinum is rare: the upper continental crust averages about 0.5 parts per billion (0.0005 ppm), according to the USGS (Professional Paper 1802-N, citing Rudnick and Gao 2003). A tonne of average upper-crust rock holds 0.5 mg of platinum, while mined PGM ores grade 5 to 15 ppm, a roughly 10,000-fold enrichment. The Royal Society of Chemistry (0.000037 ppm) and Wikipedia (0.005 ppm) print unreconciled crust values, so compare only on a stated basis, as on how rare platinum is.

Platinum Production and Reserves by Country#

World mines produced an estimated 170,000 kg (about 5.47 million troy ounces) of platinum in 2025, 70.6% of it in South Africa, according to USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026. South Africa and Zimbabwe supplied 81.2%, down from 179,000 kg worldwide in 2024. The USGS links South Africa's estimated 9% drop in PGM output to lower palladium prices, deep-level costs and power disruption, as covered under platinum mining in South Africa.

USGS MCS 2026; world totals rounded. Reserves cover all PGMs: over 76,000,000 kg, 82.9% in South Africa.

Recycling adds to mine output on platinum supply by country.

When Was Platinum Discovered?#

No single person discovered platinum: South Americans worked it about 2,000 years ago, Antonio de Ulloa published the first detailed European description in 1748, and William Brownrigg identified it as a new metal in 1750. The Royal Society of Chemistry lists the discoverer as unknown. The key dates are listed below.

1. c. 350 BCE to 400 CE: Tumaco-La Tolita smiths (Ecuador and Colombia) sinter platinum with gold; a second Wikipedia article gives c. 600 BCE to 200 CE.
2. 1557: Julius Caesar Scaliger prints the first European reference, to a metal "no fire nor any Spanish artifice has yet been able to liquefy".
3. 1735 to 1744: Ulloa observes platinum in Chocó gold washings on the French Geodesic Mission.
4. 1741: Charles Wood sends Colombian platinum from Jamaica to Brownrigg.
5. 1748: Ulloa publishes Relación Histórica del Viaje a la América Meridional.
6. 1750: Brownrigg presents it to the Royal Society as a new metal.
7. 1772 and 1786: Karl von Sickingen makes the first malleable platinum; Pierre-François Chabaneau produces 23 kg.

PubChem's 1735 is the year Ulloa's expedition began, not a discovery date. The four claims are told on platinum discovery and history.

Where the Name Platinum Comes From#

The name platinum comes from the Spanish platina, a diminutive of plata ("silver"). The word was pejorative: colonial miners in the Chocó treated the metal as a silver-like nuisance in gold workings, and the Royal Society of Chemistry records the belief that it was "unripe gold".

15 Interesting Facts About the Platinum Element#

Platinum's 15 most useful facts cover its name, history, physics and trade, as listed below.

1. Platinum means "little silver", from the Spanish platina.
2. Tumaco-La Tolita smiths sintered platinum about 1,400 years before Europe could (Wikipedia, La Tolita).
3. Julius Caesar Scaliger printed the first European mention in 1557.
4. No pre-industrial furnace reached 1768.3 °C, so pre-Columbian smiths never melted platinum.
5. Pierre-François Chabaneau made 23 kg of malleable platinum in 1786.
6. A platinum-10% iridium cylinder made by Johnson Matthey in 1879 defined the kilogram from 1889 until 20 May 2019.
7. Platinum, at 21.452 g/cm3, is 11% denser than gold.
8. Natural platinum is 0.012% platinum-190, half-life 4.83 × 10¹¹ years (CIAAW).
9. Neil Bartlett used platinum hexafluoride in 1962 to make the first xenon compound.
10. Platinum and rhodium are the only PGMs usable bare in flowing air above 1200 °C.
11. A Pt100 sensor reads 100.00 Ω at 0 °C (IEC 60751:2022).
12. Döbereiner's platinum lamp of 1823 predates mass-fitted catalytic converters (1975) by about 150 years.
13. River placers supplied almost all platinum group production until about 1920 (USGS).
14. South Africa mined 70.6% of 2025 platinum (USGS MCS 2026).
15. Vehicle catalysts took 41.5% of 2025 demand (Johnson Matthey, May 2026).

Platinum as a Precious Metal: Price, Investment and Scrap#

Platinum is also a traded precious metal, priced per troy ounce and bought and sold as bullion and scrap. Its value rests on content: a troy ounce is 31.1034768 g of pure platinum.

Platinum Price Today#

Platinum trades at $1,711.00 per troy ounce (OTC spot, 5 Oct 2026, 15:35 UTC), +1.18% over 24 hours.

Gram, kilogram and 20-currency quotes are on platinum price today, the long-run record on the platinum price chart, and all six metals under platinum group metal prices.

Buying and Selling Platinum#

Platinum buyers pay the spot price plus a dealer premium; sellers are paid on platinum content, not gross weight. A hypothetical 10 g Pt950 item contains 9.5 g of platinum (0.305 troy ounces), and a refiner pays on that less its charges.

Products are compared under investing in platinum and how to buy platinum. Sellers start at the scrap platinum price or, for converters, scrap platinum group metals, and the platinum value calculator prices any weight and fineness.

The Other Five Platinum Group Metals#

The other five platinum group metals are palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium, listed below. Platinum is also set against platinum vs silver, platinum vs white gold, rhodium vs platinum and iridium vs platinum.

Platinum Element Reference Pages#

The platinum element has 13 reference pages, each linked above and listed below.

• Platinum Properties: Physical and Chemical Properties
• Platinum Density
• Platinum Melting Point and Boiling Point
• Platinum Electron Configuration and Oxidation States
• Platinum Isotopes and Radioactivity
• Platinum Is It Magnetic?
• Platinum Toxicity and Health Effects
• Platinum Uses: Industrial, Automotive and Other Applications
• Platinum Compounds
• Platinum Alloys
• Platinum Occurrence: Where It Is Found, Ores and Minerals
• Platinum How Rare Is It?
• Platinum Discovery and History

Platinum Element FAQ#

How much is 1 gram of platinum worth today?#

One gram of platinum is worth $55.01 at 5 Oct 2026, 15:35 UTC, the troy ounce spot price divided by 31.1034768. The gram price has its own page, platinum price per gram today.

What is 1 lb of platinum worth?#

One pound (453.59237 g, 14.5833 troy ounces) of platinum is worth 14.5833 times the troy ounce price of $1,711.00; a troy pound (12 troy ounces) is worth 12 times it. See platinum price per pound today or the troy ounce converter.

Is platinum more valuable than gold?#

Platinum has traded below gold for most of the period since 2015, and today it trades at 41.4%% of the gold price. Rarity, supply and price history are weighed on platinum vs gold.

Can you tell the difference between palladium and platinum?#

Yes, by weight: platinum is about 1.8 times as dense as palladium, so identical pieces differ sharply in weight; stamped fineness marks, such as Pt950, name the metal. Hallmarks and tests are explained under platinum purity.

What does vinegar do to platinum?#

Vinegar does nothing to platinum: the metal dissolves only in aqua regia, and dilute acetic acid is a far weaker oxidant than the nitric acid that already fails alone.

Will a magnet stick to platinum?#

No: platinum is only weakly paramagnetic and holds no magnetism.

Is platinum radioactive?#

Only negligibly: 0.012% of natural platinum is platinum-190, with a half-life of 4.83 × 10¹¹ years.