Atomic number 45
Atomic mass 102,91
Density, kg / m? & nbsp ; 12400
Temperature
melting, ° С 1966
Rhodium is a hard, silvery-white transition metal. Discovered in England in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston while working with native platinum. Rhodium is a very rare and scattered element. The rhodium content is increased in ultrabasic igneous rocks. It does not have its own minerals. Found in some of the golden sands of South America. Contained in nickel and platinum ores as a simple compound. Up to 43% of rhodium comes from Mexican gold deposits. & Nbsp;
The main use of rhodium is in the automotive industry. About 98% of raw materials are used for the production of catalysts - exhaust system units. It is rhodium, which is by nature a catalyst, that is capable of decomposing waste products of combustion.