the.com/rhodium
the precious metal so rare it once cost more than a private island per kilo
means A rare, silvery-white precious metal (element 45) prized for its corrosion resistance and brilliant shine, used heavily in catalytic converters and as a finish for fine jewelry.
from From the Greek 'rhodon,' meaning rose — named for the rosy-red color of its salt solutions, which is what first caught the eye of English chemist William Hyde Wollaston when he isolated it in the early 19th century from crude platinum ore. The same root blooms in the flower 'rhododendron' (literally 'rose-tree') and the island of Rhodes, said to be named for its roses.
- price spike
- Peaked near 29,000 dollars per ounce in 2021
- name origin
- Greek for rose, from its red compounds
- catalyst king
- Scrubs poison from car exhaust daily
- ultra rare
- Among Earth's scarcest non-radioactive metals
- won't tarnish
- Resists corrosion, so it plates fancy jewelry
catalytic converters — rhodium used in 90% of car exhaust systems to reduce emissions since the 1970s
johnson matthey refinery — world's largest rhodium processor in royston, england, handles industrial catalysts
glass production — rhodium-platinum crucibles used to manufacture fiber optic cables and lcd screens