In our day-to-day lives, metals play an important role. Not only this, they are useful for business purposes also. Do you know how precious they are and their wide range of applications? Don’t worry! We have got you all covered with this aspect here.
How do we know that metal is precious?
Precious metals are not easily found in the earth’s crust. Most of the time, they occur naturally and are valued highly. These have high economic value.
Let us take a look at some of the valuable metals:-
- Gold – It is one of the well-recognized metals of all time. It is not only used at the personal level as a part of jewelry but also used for various business purposes such as –
- Electronics – It is used in the manufacturing of electronics. Moreover, it is also used in soldered joints and connectors. It is a highly efficient conductor and does not corrode. Therefore the things made with it are highly reliable.
- Aerospace industry – NASA spends umpteen amounts of dollars in the circuitry of every space vehicle. Some parts of the vehicle are coated with gold-polyester film. It is used in their space vehicles because it is a good connector and conductor.
- Silver – We know silver as the popular element used in jewelry, but do you know it has other uses? Due to its highest electrical and thermal conductivity, it is used in-.
- Currency – People use silver as a form of investment in grade silver bullion. Its high shine makes it attractive. It is a good option to mint local currency because of its high malleability.
- Mirrors and glass – Coating the windows of buildings with a silver layer helps keep the inner environment cool as it reflects sunlight.
- Platinum – Do you know that platinum is regarded as 15 times rarer than gold? Its ductility and more than copper or gold. It is used in catalytic converters. Catalytic converters reduce the emission of harmful chemicals. Due to its highly corrosion-resistant properties, it has wide applications –
- Chemical reactions – As platinum has high-temperature stability, it is regarded as the ideal catalyst in chemical reactions.
- Medical industry – X-ray fluorescence is made up of platinum crucibles. According to https://www.samaterials.com/platinum/409-platinum-crucible-standard.html, platinum crucible can also be customized as per the need.
- Iridium – The most extreme platinum family element, iridium, comes with a very high melting point. It is white in color. It is used in –
- Fountain pen nibs
- Watches
- As a hardening agent in the alloy of platinum
- Palladium – It is the least dense of the platinum group and has a low melting point. Let us tell you an interesting fact about it! At room temperature, it can absorb nearly 800 times its own volume of hydrogen. Some of its applications are-
- Blood sugar test strips
- In jewelry, to make “White gold” alloys.
- Surgical instruments
- Rhenium – The by-product of molybdenum, rhenium is one of the densest metals. It is considered the rarest element in the earth’s crust. After tungsten, it holds the position of the element producing the highest melting point. Its uses include –
- Photography – The wire of Rhenium is used in flash photography.
- Jet engine parts – When Rhenium forms the part of the high-temperature superalloys, then it is used in aircraft applications like jet engine parts and turbine blades. Over 78% of rhenium superalloys are used in this application.
Conclusion
In the global world, these elements help business houses to such an extent that they cannot imagine their lives without them. So let us make the best use of these elements and carry out the activities smoothly!