Platinum

__**Platinum**__ media type="custom" key="11502188"

**Symbol**: Pt **Atomic number**: 78 **Atomic mass**: 195.078 **Density**: 21.5 g/cm3 **State at room temperature**:solid **Boiling Point**: average of 3800.0 degrees celsius **Melting Point**: 1772.0 degrees celsius **Appearance**: silvery white in color, very sturdy, holds stones very well, and heavy **Group**: 10 **Where does the element come from**: meteorites, stars, gravel and sand deposits **Isotopes**: Pt- 192, Pt-194, Pt-195, Pt-196 and Pt-197 (There are many more but they don't last as long) **Common compounds**: ([|www.webelements.com/platinum/compounds.html])
 * [|Cis-diamminedichloroplatinate]: [PtCl2(NH3)2]
 * [|Trans-diamminedichloroplatinate]: [PtCl2(NH3)2]
 * [|Dipotassium hexachlorooplatinate]: K2[PtCl6]
 * [|Dipotassium tetrachloroplatinate]: K2[PtCl4]
 * [|Dipotassium tetracyanoplatinate]: K2[Pt(CN)4]
 * [|Platinum tetrachloride pentahydrate]: PtCl4.5H2O
 * [|Potassium trichloro(ammine)platinate]: K[PtCl3(NH3)]

Platinum is in group 10 of the periodic table and has the third highest density, after osmium and iridium. Platinum is found in meteorites and stars. Platinum is also found in gravel and sand deposits. The world's largest platinum producer is South Africa. Russia, Canada, the United States, and Zimbabwe also contribute to the worlds platinum production.

media type="youtube" key="AGZ20OrmYBs" height="315" width="420" align="center"

__Uses__
 * jewerly
 * coins
 * oxygen sensors
 * catalytic converters
 * computer hard drives
 * medical equipment
 * jet engines
 * automobiles
 * pacemakers
 * space missiles

__History__ Platinum was first discovered in Spain. They came upon this precious metal while mining for gold in Columbia. They came to find that this metal that was similar to silver did not tarnish or wear out. This metal was commonly called platina del Pinto or little silver. It is extreamely had to tell who discovered platinum but we most often credit Antonio Ulloa for the discovery.

media type="youtube" key="mE8bVvplDNM" height="315" width="420" align="center"

__Platinum Used to Treat Cancer__ In 1962 doctors discovered that platinum-based drugs can be used to treat cancer. A new drug called Cisplatin was the first platinum-based drug used to treat some cancers such as neck and head cancers. Other elements of platinum is said to treat tumors. Another platinum-based drug is Satraplatin, and it will be the first platinum-based drug that can be taken orally.

__Fun Facts__


 * Did you know there is a low amount of platinum in your body?
 * A 3.5 kg of platinum costs $100,000!
 * There is a very small amount of platinum in the earths crust, in soil, seawater, and the atmosphere.
 * A black and white photo of the moon rising over a lake was printed on a platinum slab and it sold for 3 million dollars at an auction in New York.
 * About 133 tons of Platinum are mined each year.
 * Platinum is the rarest and heaviest of all the precious metals.

__Pictures__







__Sources__ Bentor, Yinon. ChemicalElement.com-Platinum.Nov.16,2011[].

Emsley, John. //Nature's Building Blocks: an A-Z Guide to the Elements//. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.

"Fun Facts About Platinum." //Bullion - Gold - Silver - Platinum - Palladium - Bullion.com//. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. < [|__http://www.bullion.com__] >.

Gray, Theodore W., and Nick Mann. //The Elements: a Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe//. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2009. Print.

"Platinum." //Wikipedia//. Web. 23 Nov. 2011. .

//Platinum Today: Home//. Web. 30 Nov. 2011. .

Stwertka, Albert. //A Guide to the Elements//. New York: Oxford UP, 2002. Print.

