Essay Example on The history of the element the physical properties

All of the elements tell their own story whether it be good or bad Some of the elements are used for great things and others can be used for destructive purposes I will be sharing Platinum s story and where it originated from This element has many uses ranging from medical use to scientific and is used in vehicles we drive every day I will be talking about the history of the element the physical properties of the element what it looks like and how it is recognized I will also be touching on the present uses of the element and how reactive it is All of the elements have a place in this world and I will be sharing what atomic numbers 78 s place is in the world Platinum is a very valued and sought after metal that has a very long history It goes way back to to the seventh century BC where it is believed that oldest worked piece of platinum was in an Egyptian casket It was discovered at Thebes and was dedicated to the Queen Shapenapit On the Pacific Coast of South America there were ancient people that could have used platinum for burial goods There is speculation that in 1557 an Italian scholar wrote about the metal He wrote of a metal from Spanish Central America that would not melt The next recorded sighting of platinum was in 1735 by Antonio Ulloa He was on his way back to Europe when his ship was captured by the Royal Navy The Royal Society was very interested in the new metal and by the 1750s most of Europe knew and discussed about the newly discovered metal 

This metal can be recognized easily by its white shiny look It is not to be confused with chromium or silver which looks a lot like each other at first glance Platinum can be recognized by its hardness and if it scratches easily Most people confuse platinum with chromium which is very hard and does not scratch very easily whereas platinum can be scratched easily It can be easily recognized by its sheen but it eventually loses it Platinum is an element that is hard to identify by someone that doesn't study the elements but it is a little bit easier to tell what it is if it is a tool Platinum has many uses and all of them are important in the aspect of what they are made for It has uses in mechanics medical purposes chemical testing electronics dental uses and can be used for turbines It is definitely a very useful element as all of the elements on the periodic table are In platinums use of mechanics there are several uses The element is great for use in catalytic converters The platinum in catalytic converters essentially helps to convert the toxic gases and pollutants from emissions into a less toxic version Platinum can also be used in spark plugs which ignites the fuel in some vehicles Platinum has a very important part in medical purposes which is for its use in pacemakers dental crowns and other medical equipment It is also used in multiple cancer fighting drugs and about 50 of cancer patients are using these drugs Platinum is used for hard drives LCD s optical fibres watches and thermocouples in the electronics industry which are all important in their own way It is also used as currency which are coins bars and ingots