Many years have passed since D.I. Mendeleev presented to the public his first table of chemical elements in 1869. And today, many people on our planet are concerned about a very interesting question: "What is the name and cost of the most expensive metal on earth?" And if a gemstone has already formed a more or less true idea, then with knowledge of metals things are much worse. Only a few can name the most expensive metal.
So, this is the Osmium isotope of 1870s. In the periodic system of Mendeleev, the most expensive precious metal is located at number 76. The thing is that the Osmium isotope is the hardest of all substances that are discovered by mankind. Incredibly, the density of this metal is 22.62 g / cc. Osmium is characterized by a characteristic pungent odor and silver color. Due to its physical and chemical characteristics, metal is used in the nuclear industry, jewelry and pharmaceuticals.
It is no less interesting that we are unlikely to see the most expensive metal with our own eyes. The thing is that today on the black metal market for 1 gram of Osmium will have to pay more than 200 thousand dollars. The first official exporter of Osmiya was Kazakhstan, which in 2004 offered one gram at a price of $ 10,000. In addition to Kazakhstan, no country in the world has proposed the Osmium isotope, because the process of its production is an extremely complex task. The metal is obtained by calcining platinum concentrates at temperatures of 900-1000 ยบ.
Theoretically, the most expensive metal is California 252. As of 2010, the price of 1 gram of California was 6,500,000 dollars. However, the global reserves of this metal are only a few grams, and only two countries (Russia and the USA) produce about 20-40 micrograms per year. The physical properties of California are more than impressive: only 1 ฮผg is capable of emitting 2 million neutrons per second. Due to these characteristics, the metal is used to treat malignant tumors in medicine, as a point source of a large number of neutrons.
Another noble metal is platinum. And if he does not claim to be the โMost Expensive Metalโ, then he is included in the 5 most common precious ones. If we turn to history, platinum was mined already in the 12-14 centuries by the tribes that lived in the Andes region. He came to the inhabitants of Europe in the 16-17th centuries. 5 countries are currently developing platinum locations: USA, Russia, China, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Most often, coins are made from platinum, but, unlike gold and silver, coins began to be minted from platinum relatively recently.
Metal is successfully used in the production of medical, dental and laser equipment. They cover submarine hulls to protect against corrosion.
In the jewelry industry, platinum is also of high value.
As of January 1, 2013, the average price for 1 gram of platinum is about $ 70. Japan has always been the main market , but today China has confidently taken the palm.
By the way, every year the global jewelry industry consumes more than 50 tons of platinum, and China accounts for about 50% of all sales.