Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River."[1] It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal. Even though it has six naturally occurring isotopes, platinum is one of the rarest elements in the Earth's crust and has an average abundance of approximately 0.005 mg/kg. It occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits, mostly in South Africa, which accounts for 80% of the world production.
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Also known as white gold, a name coming from the Middle Ages, when alchemists believed that platinum was a alloy (called an amalgam) of gold and silver. Natural alloys of Whitegold were first used in rings and other small objects by the Incas and Mayas, who discovered the metal in the alluvial sands of various rivers. The use of Whitegold as a decorative material has been noted earlier, on an Egyptian casket from the 7th B.C. The first European reference to the metal has been attributed to the Italian scholar and humanist Julius Caesar Scaliger in the 16th century, while more extensive studies started in the 18th century. It is not clear who discovered, isolated and studied for the first time the precious metal, although the official versions credit Antonio de Ulloa and Charles Wood.
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In latin argentum, from the Indo-European root *arg- for "grey" or "shining", the popular metal takes its name from his white and shining color. Its chemical symbol is AG, and it is the best heat and electricity conductor among metals. When shined, its boasts an intense metallic shine, as well as the biggest reflective capacity of any metal, and is thus used in the manufacturing of mirrors.
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Gold is not only used in jewelry crafting, but also in electronics, electric, and aeronautic industry.
It is used in the exploration of space since its extreme resistance to oxidation and corrosion make it an ideal material for the creation of spaceships, which have to function for years without being services. Other specific characteristics of gold are a very low resistance to electricity and a capacity of forming extremely thin fibers, at times thinner than a human hair. These unique advantages make gold a precious element for electronics.
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Since the dawn of civilization, gold has been the most desired of all metals. It was nevertheless not adapted to the crafting of tips of arrows, or cooking utensils.
A very soft and supple metal, gold is very easy to work with. In reason of its color and its shine, and maybe of its long life and rarity, gold has always been a symbol of holiness. As much in religions based on fertility (such as sun or mother earth religions), as well as monotheistic religions (one must keep in mind the middle age paintings were saints emerge through a cloud of smoke), gold holds a special place and is used in specific ways.
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