Full content Thu gọn # Guide to Platinum | Key Properties & Uses | BullionVault
> Source: https://www.bullionvault.com/platinum-guide
Guide to Platinum | Key Properties & Uses | BullionVault Tell others what you think Please take a moment to review us on Trustpilot. Not now Review us We use cookies (including third-party cookies) to remember your site preferences, to help us understand how visitors use our sites and to make any adverts we show on 3rd party sites more relevant. To learn more, please see our privacy policy and our cookie policy . To agree to our use of cookies, click 'Accept' or choose 'Options' to set your preferences by cookie type. Options Accept About us About BullionVault In the press Reviews English English English (UK) Deutsch Español Français Italiano Polski 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 Daily audit Help Contact Deposit Log in Open account Buy/sell bullion Live order board Daily Price Investment guide Guide to gold How to buy gold How to invest in gold Investment insurance Compare asset performance Guide to silver How to buy silver Why invest in silver Guide to platinum How to buy platinum Platinum investment Gold news Gold news front page Gold price news Opinion & analysis Market fundamentals Gold/Silver Investor Index Infographics Charts Gold price Silver price Platinum price Palladium price Price alerts English English English (UK) Deutsch Español Français Italiano Polski 日本語 简体中文 繁體中文 Daily audit Help Contact Deposit Logout Account Balance Deposit funds Withdraw funds Withdraw 100g gold bars Reserve bars Validation Documents Settings History Orders Statement Deposits & withdrawals Profit & loss 100g gold bar withdrawals Referrals Annual sales report Buy/sell bullion Vaulted gold & silver Live order board Daily Price Investment guide Guide to gold How to buy gold How to invest in gold Investment insurance Compare asset performance Guide to silver How to buy silver Guide to platinum How to buy platinum Gold news Gold news front page Gold price news Opinion & analysis Market fundamentals Gold/Silver Investor Index Infographics Charts Gold price Silver price Platinum price Palladium price Price alerts Charts Account Menu Guide to platinum Guide to Gold Guide to Silver Guide to Platinum Why choose BullionVault for gold & silver ownership? Open a BullionVault account and buy gold today British Museum curator Jamie Fraser interview Selected guide articles Gold Silver Buy gold bullion Gold inflation hedge Gold coin costs Silver investment Buy silver Buy gold bars How to buy gold video Invest in gold Gold bullion Buy platinum online Palladium Gold ETF Gold IRA Gold bullion trading apps Kids gold investment Queen's Award Cost calculator Free gold bar images for commercial use (link attribution required) Guide to platinum Platinum - at least in terms of wedding anniversaries (70th) or the record sales required for the plating of a commemorative disc - sits above silver and gold at the top of the precious metals hierarchy. But what is platinum, what are its key properties, what is it used for, and how can it be bought as an investment? What is platinum? Platinum is a highly valuable metal and one of the rarer elements in the earth's crust. Due to its scarcity and given its variety of uses, platinum holds high value and is a major precious metal commodity. As one of the most corrosion-resistant, least reactive metals, platinum is used in a wide variety of industrial and manufacturing processes, from catalytic convertors to glass manufacture, with further uses in medicine, jewellery and as an investment asset. Platinum demand is spread across four main segments: automotive, industrial, jewellery and investment. Over the past five years the proportion of the world's platinum used in these segments has been 40%, 24%, 30% and 6% respectively. Chemical properties of platinum Platinum has the chemical symbol Pt and its atomic number is 78. It is silverish white in colour and dense, malleable and highly unreactive. A member of the platinum group of metals, it has six naturally occurring isotopes and has a natural resistance to corrosion, not oxidising in the air even at high temperatures. One of its key chemical properties is that Platinum is insoluble in nitric and hydrochloric acids but dissolves in a hot mixture of both (called aqua regia) to form aqueous chloroplatinic acid, which can be used in catalytic hydrogenation - vital in the food and petrochemical industries as well as in photography and plating. What is platinum used for? The properties found in the chemical element - including its oxidation state and reaction to electric current - make platinum invaluable to a huge range of industrial processes and products, with platinum, platinum wire and platinum electrode technology finding uses from fertilizers to fiberglass, from anti-cancer drugs to spark plugs. Platinum is used in the following industries and processes: Catalytic converters 45% of platinum sold is estimated to be used in vehicle emissions controls. Placed in the exhaust system of a truck or car, a very fine coating of platinum speeds up the reaction of oxygen with deadly carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons (so-called 'greenhouse gases'), turning them into less harmful carbon dioxide and water, while also reducing the output of sulphur particles. Glass manufacturing Holding and moulding molten glass requires tools that can both withstand temperatures of 1700°C and also avoid corroding or reacting with the silicates and other materials used. Petroleum refining The oil refining industry uses platinum as a catalyst for 'cracking' low-grade fuel into more efficient forms including gasoline, diesel and jet-engine fuel. Medical & Biomedical uses Stents, catheters, guidewires, neuromodulators, defibrillators and pacemakers use platinum components because the element is hard-wearing and doesn't react with the chemicals in human tissue. Chemicals industry Acting as a catalyst to boost the speed and efficiency of chemical reactions, platinum is essential in producing many key industrial, agricultural and household chemicals. Nitrogen fertilizers, nylon, polyurethane and a host of other everyday plastics have platinum involved in their manufacturing processes. Platinum compounds are used in everything from sealants to electrical wire insulation, from lubricants to kitchen utensils. Electrical and electronic uses One of platinum's applications at the dawn of the computer age was in the coating of hard disk drives. After a lull in demand for this technology, the surge in home-computer use and the boom in cloud computing, has seen platinum needed to help service work-from-home, video conferencing and online shopping in the post-pandemic age. Jewellery Platinum jewellery has become increasingly popular as an alternative to or companion with silver and gold. The prestige of platinum is also used in special edition watches by high-end producers such as Breitling and Patek Philippe. History of platinum Discovering platinum An unknown, new metal "which no fire or Spanish artifice has been able to liquefy" was first found by Europeans in Central America by Spanish explorers in the 16th century, according to contemporary accounts. Two centuries later, platinum mines were discovered in Colombia and Peru. The chemical element, which occurred naturally in the alluvial deposits of rivers, was transported to Europe for study, and found to be "less pliable than gold but with similar resistance to corrosion." In fact, its chemical properties mean pure platinum is denser than gold, more noble (meaning less reactive) and has a higher melting point (1,768°C). White gold or little silver? Subsequent archaeological discoveries have found platinum traces in gold used in Egyptian burials from as early as 1200 BCE. Platinum compounds have also been used in artefacts and jewellery in South America for at least two millennia. In modern times, platinum is obtained commercially through mine extraction and as a by-product from nickel and copper mining and processing. The look and value of the precious metal led to it becoming known as "white gold", although the word platinum comes from the Spanish platina , or "little silver". Mining and refining platinum Platinum is typically found in underground deposits, and mining it can be a complex process, usually carried out in deep pit mines. Once the metal has been extracted, it needs to be refined and processed before it can be used. South Africa accounts for over 70% of the world's platinum supply, with Russia, Zimbabwe, Canada and the United States ranking as the other top five global miners of native platinum. Southern Africa is the world's only current primary source of platinum, with mines elsewhere producing platinum as a by-product of other metal extraction. Platinum extraction During electrorefining of copper, noble metals such as silver, gold and the platinum group metals settle to the bottom of the cell as "anode mud", which forms the starting point for the extraction of the precious metal. Due to differences in magnetism, nickel and iron impurities can be removed from platinum through electromagnetism, while other impurities can be melted away under extreme heat, due to platinum's high melting point. Further impurities can be removed by treating the metal in hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, which find platinum to be resistant but will attack other impurities. How does the platinum market work? As with gold and silver, platinum can be bought and sold for investment on the precious metals markets. Historically - as suggested by its placement over gold in the wedding anniversary hierarchy - an ounce of platinum has been more expensive than an ounce of gold. One reason for this is scarcity (natural platinum is approximately 30 times rarer than gold), but also platinum has been seen as an investment for better economic times, where demand for the vast range of goods made by platinum-reliant processes are at their highest. The platinum price peaked shortly before the 2008 financial crash, with a further market dynamic reacting to fears over power supply to platinum mines in South Africa. Platinum and palladium The palladium and platinum markets are interlinked in supply as well as demand. The two chemical elements are co-products in the majority of their mining locations, and they are substitutes for each other in several industrial applications, including automotive catalysts. Investing in platinum bullion Platinum's range of bullion investments is more limited than gold or silver, due to the element's smaller annual mine output and its greater use by industry and technology. Availability is further limited by uneven and sometimes unreliable supplies of newly mined metal. Uncertainty at the top of the supply chain - where labour and energy issues have been known to hit South African production - can increase the volatility of platinum prices and worsen the gap between prices to buy and prices to sell for people buying retail investment products. To learn more and get started today, simply register your email address to open an account now , or visit our Platinum Investment or How to Buy Platinum guides. Please Note: This analysis is published to inform your thinking, not lead it. Previous price trends are no guarantee of future performance. Before investing in any asset, you should seek financial advice if unsure about its suitability to your personal circumstances. Open an account Try out buying and selling with a free sample. Transfer funds Make a bank transfer to your BullionVault account. Buy gold, silver or platinum In your choice of vault through the live order board. Validate your account Upload photo ID and bank statement. Open an account today Luxury and power Persia to Greece An exhibition proudly supported by BullionVault Site links FAQ Rates & charges Cost calculator t oz/kg converter Corporate services Affiliates Gold SIPP Gold IRA Privacy notice Tax strategy Terms & conditions Cookies Find BullionVault on X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook YouTube Instagram Threads BullionVault mobile app Contact us support@bullionvault.com +44 (0)20 8600 0130 (UK and International) 1-888-908-2858 (US and Canada toll-free) Click to call Opening hours: 9am to 8:30pm (UK), Monday to Friday Galmarley Ltd T/A BullionVault 3 Shortlands (7th Floor) Hammersmith London W6 8DA United Kingdom PLEASE NOTE: The value of precious metals may fall as well as rise. Historical trends do not guarantee future price moves. Nothing on BullionVault's websites nor in any of its communications constitutes investment advice. You should consider seeking professional advice to determine if owning bullion is right for you. Galmarley Ltd, trading as BullionVault, registered in England and Wales 4943684 BullionVault Ltd © 2026 Save your cookie preferences We use cookies to remember your site preferences, record your referrer, improve the performance of our site and to make any adverts we show on 3rd party sites more relevant. For more information, see our cookie policy . Please select an option below and 'Save' your preferences. No cookies . Without any cookies our websites can't remember your site preferences (cookies, currency, weight units, markets, referrer, etc.) for your next visit. Any cookies already placed will be deleted at the end of your browsing session. As we won't be able to record your cookie preference, the cookie banner will display again on your next visit. BullionVault cookies only (recommended) . We use these cookies to record your site usage and preferences (cookies, currency, weight units, markets, referrer, etc.) for your next visit using this browser. BullionVault cookies and third-party cookies . Also, allow our use of cookies from well-known third parties such as Google , Facebook, Bing and YouTube. These help us understand how visitors use our websites and to make any adverts we show on 3rd party sites more relevant. Save You can update your cookie preferences at any time from the 'Cookies' link in the footer. Secure auto-logout warning You have not been active for some time. For your security you will be logged out in minutes unless you take action. Stay logged in Open an account New users get 4 FREE grams of silver to try us out. Not now Open account
