Many years have passed since D. I. Mendeleev presented his first table of chemical elements to the public in 1869. And today, many inhabitants of our planet are concerned about a very interesting question: "What is the name and how much is the most expensive metal on earth?" And if a more or less correct idea has already been formed about precious stones, then things are much worse with knowledge about metals. Only a few will be able to name the most expensive metal.
So this is an isotope of Osmium 1870s. In the periodic system of Mendeleev, the most expensive precious metal is located at number 76. The thing is that the isotope of Osmium is the hardest of all substances that have been discovered by mankind. Incredibly, the density of this metal is 22.62 g/cc. Osmium has a characteristic pungent odor and a silvery color. Due to its physical and chemical properties, the metal is used in the nuclear industry, jewelry manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.
It is no less interesting that we are unlikely to be able 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 you will have to pay more than 200 thousand dollars. The first official exporter of Osmium was Kazakhstan, which in 2004 offered one gram at a price of $10,000. Apart from Kazakhstan, no country in the world has offered the isotope of Osmium, because the process of its production is an extremely difficult task. The metal is obtained by calcining platinum concentrates at temperatures of 900-1000 ºС.
Theoretically the most expensive metal is California 252. As of 2010, the price of 1 gram of California was $6,500,000. However, world reserves of this metal are only a few grams, and only two countries (Russia and the United States) produce about 20-40 micrograms per year. The physical properties of California are more than impressive: just 1 microgram 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 it does not claim to be the "Most Expensive Metal", then it is included in the 5 most common precious ones. If we turn to history, then platinum was mined already in the 12-14 centuries by the tribes that lived in the Andes region. It came to the inhabitants of Europe already in the 16-17 centuries. Today 5 countries are engaged in the development of platinum deposits: USA, Russia, China, South Africaand Zimbabwe.
Most often, coins are made from platinum, but, unlike gold and silver, they began to be minted from platinum relatively recently.
Metal is successfully used in the production of medical, dental and laser equipment. It is coated on submarine hulls to protect against corrosion.
In the jewelry industry, platinum also has a 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 over 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.
