How Can You Tell the Difference Between the Platinum Group Metals?
The platinum group metals - platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium look pretty much the same. They are all bright, shiny white metals that do not tarnish. And if you’re dealing with platinum group metal scrap – the stuff that is left over after different industrial processes – it all looks pretty much the same.
So how can you tell the difference between them? But before we answer that question, let’s answer a slightly different one . . .
Why should you want to tell the difference between Platinum Group Metals?
The answer to that question is simple. You want to be able to tell these metals apart because some of them are worth more than others – in fact, much more. So if you fail to identify the metal or scrap you are looking at, you could lose money when you recycle it.
So, How Do You Identify PGMs and Tell Them Apart?
They have similar physical and chemical properties and even tend to occur together in the same mineral deposits, often in nickel mines.
The majority of the world’s PGM reserves are located in South Africa, with an estimated 70,000 metric tons of PGMs in the entire Earth’s crust. Other countries with significant PGM reserves include Russia, Zimbabwe, the United States, and Canada.
To differentiate between them, you need more than the naked eye. A qualified testing lab like Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners can use various methods such as spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Those methods can help identify the elemental composition of the sample you send us and the concentration of each element.
What Are Density Tests?
Another way to differentiate between theme metals is by their density. The density of these metals varies from 12.4 g/cm for osmium to 21.5 g/cm for iridium.
There are several ways to test the density of a metal object. One way is to weigh the metal object in air and then weigh it again when it is immersed in a liquid to determine its density. You can also determine the mass of the metal by dropping the object into a graduated cylinder containing a known volume of water and measuring the new volume. Divide the mass by the volume to calculate the density.
Finally, you can drop the object in a fluid of known density. If it sinks, it is denser and if it floats, it is less dense.
Clearly, density tests cannot be accurately performed at home. Call Specialty Metals Smelters and Refiners to learn more about how we can test your precious metal scrap to determine what it is and what it is worth at current trading prices.
No Matter What Kind of Scrap You Have . . .
We can identify the precious and other metals your scrap contains. Give our precious metal refiners a call at 800-426-2344 or email sales@specialtymetals.com