Definition

Rhodium is a chemical component that is a rare, silvery-white, hard transition metal and a member of the platinum group. Rhodium is create in platinum ores and is used in alloys with platinum and as a catalyst. It is abbreviated to Rh and has atomic number 45. It is one of the most expensive precious metals.

Properties

Rhodium is a hard silvery white and tough metal that has a high reflectance. Rhodium metal does not usually form an oxide, even when heated. Oxygen is wrapped up from the atmosphere at the melting point of rhodium, but on solidification, the oxygen is released. Rhodium has both a higher melting point and lower density than platinum.

World Resources

Application

1. An electrical contact substance due to its low electrical resistance, low and stable contact resistance, and high corrosion resistance
2. The compound of a rhodium with BINAP gives a broadly used chiral catalyst for chiral synthesis, as in the synthesis of menthol.
3. It is also used as a filter in mammography systems because of the characteristic X-rays it produces.