Rhodium was identified in 1804 by Wollaston in a platinum ore from South America.
The name is derived from the Greek ροδον (pink) on account of the pinkish-red colour of rhodium salts.
Properties
A silvery white, shiny metal.
Does not tarnish in air.
Exhibits outstanding resistance to corrosion.
Endowed with high light-reflecting power and is very hard. Mechanically, it is one of the strongest metals.
Brought to red-hot temperature in air, it converts slowly to the sesquioxide Rh2O3.
Applications
An important component of car catalysts in that it contributes to the reduction of the nitrogen oxides NOx.
Used in the manufacture of thermocouples, laboratory crucibles and bushings for drawing glass fibres, as well as in the production of high-grade glass (for computer screens).
Electrodeposition of rhodium gives extremely hard coatings used in the manufacture of mirrors for optical instruments.
In the form of very fine films, rhodium protects silverware against tarnishing.
Rhodium used in jewelry, for example in the production of white gold
Recycling
Rhodium is mainly recycled from spent automotive catalysts.
Umicore uses certain monitoring and tracking technologies such as cookies. These technologies are used in order to maintain, provide and improve our services on an ongoing basis, and in order to provide our web visitors with a better experience.
By clicking on the "Accept all" button you agree to the use of these cookies while using the website. For further information regarding how we use cookies and other tracking technologies, please see section 11 of our website privacy notice.
