What Is Rhodium?

• Rhodium is a hard, silvery and durable metal in the Platinum group.
• The Chemical symbol for Rhodium is Rh.
• Rhodium is highly reflective and is often used to give white gold an extra shine
• It has a higher melting point than Platinum and is resistant to corrosion.
• Like Platinum it is a hard, ductile, malleable and is a good electrical conductor.
• Rhodium resists attack by acids and can only be dissolved in aqua regia, a highly volatile mix of concentrated nitric and sulphuric acids that is also one of the few substances that can dissolve gold and platinum.
• It is the most expensive of all precious metals.

Over the last 30 years Rhodium has averaged circa $1000 a troy ounce and in 2006 has reached $6200.00 an ounce. Rhodium, named after rhodon, the Greek for rose, was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston in 1804 shortly after he had discovered Platinum and Palladium. Read more