PALLADIUM

Be -Pd- is a chemical element with atomic number 46. Palladium is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal and was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired by her when she slew Pallas. Palladium, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium form a group of elements referred to as the platinum group metals (PGMs). These have similar chemical properties, but palladium has the lowest melting point and is the least dense of them. The unique properties of palladium and other platinum group metals account for their widespread use. A quarter of all goods manufactured today either contains PGMs or has a significant part in their manufacturing process played by PGMs.