Palladium is a rare noble metal. The following are some of its applications.
- Dentistry:
Palladium is used in dentistry in a small amount in some alloys of dental amalgam. This decreases corrosion and increases the metallic lustre.
- Jewellery:
In jewellery, it is used as an alternative to platinum. It is easy to shape into different structures than platinum. palladium is used in white gold and alloy. It is one of the popular alloying metal in white gold.
- Photography:
Palladium salts are used in the platinotype printing process. It produces fine-art black-and-white prints.
- Hydrogen storage:
Palladium absorbs Hydrogen forming palladium hydride. This property is also found in other transition metals but Palladium has a high absorption capacity.
- In Electronics:
Palladium is used in multi-layer ceramic capacitors and in electrodes (palladium-silver alloy). Palladium alloy with nickel is used in connector plating in consumer electronics. Palladium is used in palladium-hydrogen electrodes electrochemical studies.
- As a Catalyst:
It is used as a catalyst in different heterogeneous catalytic processes like petroleum cracking, hydrogenation and dehydrogenation. It is used in a large number of Organic reaction as a catalyst such as the Heck reaction, Suzuki coupling, Tsuji-Trost reactions, Wacker process, Negishi reaction and Stille coupling etc. Palladium(II) chloride readily catalyzes carbon monoxide gas to carbon dioxide and can be used in carbon monoxide detectors.
- Other applications:
It is used in aircraft spark plugs, surgical instruments, watchmaking and professional transverse flutes.
What colour is palladium?
Palladium is a rare noble metal. It has a silvery-white colour.
Where is palladium found?
Palladium is found in minerals like polarite and cooperite. It is also found as a free metal, alloy with gold and other platinum-group metals. Russia is the top producer of Palladium followed by other countries like South Africa, Canada and the U.S.
