Palladium is a precious metal that has
generated a lot of excitement over the past few years. Prices for palladium soared
into the four-figure range during the late 1990s, only to collapse to under $200 late
in 2003.
An element belonging to the platinum group
of metals, palladium is steel-white in color, except in powder form, when it appears
black. Palladium has a number of industrial uses, resists tarnishing in air and, if annealed,
it is soft and ductile.
Palladium has the lowest density and melting
point of the platinum-group metals (iridium, osmium, palladium, platinum, rhodium, and
ruthenium).
Demand for palladium comes not only for
its industrial uses, but also its growing use in jewelry around the world.
