Platinum

Symbol: Pt
Atomic number: 78
Category: transition metals
Group: 10
Period: 6
Block: d
Atomic weight: 195.084 g/mol
Electrons per shell: 2, 8, 18, 32, 17, 1
CAS number: 7440-06-4
Phase: solid
Density: 21.45 kg/dm³ (near room temperature)
Melting point: 2041.4 K (1768.3 °C, 3214.9 °F)
Boiling point: 4098 K (3825 °C, 6917 °F)
Crystal structure: cubic face centered
Oxidation states: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Electronegativity: 2.28 (Pauling scale)
Name's origin: platina del Pinto
Name's meaning: a Spanish term which means 'little silver of the Pinto River'
Facts:
- is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal
- is resistant to corrosion and occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits
- is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts and electrodes, platinum resistance thermometers, dentistry, and catalytic converters
- is an extremely rare metal, occurring as only 0.003 ppb in the Earth's crust