Understanding the broad applications of precious metals

This gets recognised by the precious metal manufacturer as they refine and supply them to a wide spectrum of industries. Gold, silver, and platinum have seen prevalent use in the jewellery industry. Other metals like rhodium, palladium, tungsten, etc., also find their places as alloys. But their applicability extends beyond the valuables. Read on to find out:

Gold: Its qualities like corrosion resistance and static-free electrical transmission make it a suitable electronics conductor. It is used in circuit boards to prevent oxidation. The global positioning systems (GSP) have components covered by gold to resist decay from UV rays. It is also applied to the visors of astronaut helmets for the same reason.

Palladium: The precious metal refineries primarily process this metal for automobile industries. They use it as a catalytic convertor. Other than that, its applicability extends to creating dental inlays, orthodontic devices, fillings, etc. It is also considered an affordable alternative to platinum due to its identical appearance.

Silver: It has the lowest contact resistance and enhanced thermal conductivity of all metals. Hence, it gets used where conduction speed matters. Some examples include solar panels, rapid charging, electrical switches, batteries, televisions, etc. Its antimicrobial properties are used in making antibiotic medicines. It also acted as the main component of photography before digital cameras became a thing. It is still required to develop film images and X-rays.

Platinum: This rarest metal gets mined for varied uses by the precious metal refining company. It is mainly used in automobiles such as cars, busses, trucks, and other industrial processes. It is known to convert the combustion caused by these vehicles into less harmful gasses. Platinum extends its magnetic properties to computer components like disks and storage software as well. The Healthcare industry benefits from its compounds applied to chemotherapy.

Rhodium: It is yet another metal in demand as a catalytic convertor. Besides this, the chemical industry uses it to make nitric acid, acetic acid, and hydrogenation reactions. Up to 10% to 20% of its production goes into coating optical fibres and mirrors.

Iridium: Being one of the worlds hardest metals, it is used in spark plugs for resistance. It has a high melting point which makes it a durable option for the same. Iridium is also an alloy in making metre bars and crucibles, owing to its corrosion resistance.

Ruthenium: It falls under the alloy category for hardening malleable metals. In addition, it has huge demand in the electrics industry to create chip resistors and electrical contacts. The new-age applications for its compounds are seen in solar cells.

These are some of the well-known precious metals and their unknown uses.

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