Part 5 - 20th Century

For over a hundred years, palladium was fairly rare. It had been produced in limited quantities from various sources. The Ural Mountains of Russia provided the vast bulk of the ores from which palladium was produced. Then in 1924, the great stores of South Africa were found.

Still, palladium could only be obtained from platinum ore by methods similar to Wollaston’s, or else by electrolytic refining of copper. But in 1930, the International Nickel Company of Canada began producing palladium in significant quantities from its rich ores, and the metal became more widely available.

For the first time, industry had affordable palladium, and was able to put its unusual properties to work. In 1931, a German company named Heraeus developed and patented alloys of palladium with silver and gold. These alloys were excellent materials in dentistry, and today are still used in bridges and crowns.

In the 1970s, another important application emerged. Growing concerns about pollution and the environment triggered a surge in pollution-reduction technologies. Thanks to its unique physical characteristics, palladium soon became an important part of these systems.

Modern catalytic converters rely heavily on palladium and its sister metal, platinum. These devices convert up to 90% of harmful gases in auto exhausts (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide) into less harmful substances (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor). Today, each car or light truck sold in the USA must have a catalytic converter.

Since the 1970s, demand for palladium has skyrocketed in other industries as well. Modern electronic circuitry uses palladium in electrical switches and contacts, for its superior conductivity and resistance to oxidation. Palladium pastes are also used in electronic components such as capacitors.

Palladium nugget, © Thomas Witzke

Today, palladium is in a unique situation. The metal is in demand from a wide range of global industries, yet is supplied by only a few mines across the world. Thus, any interruption to supply can have a dramatic impact on prices.

A perfect example of this occurred a few years ago. The biggest palladium supplier in the world is Norilsk Nickel in the Russian Federation, and in the year 2000, Norilsk’s deliveries of palladium became unreliable. The palladium market then was so tight that supply interruptions resulted in huge price surges. Palladium reached a high of $1090 per ounce in early 2001. Palladium is for the moment in oversupply and at less than a quarter of its high, but questions remain with many about future supply reliability.

Today, scientists are studying even more uses for palladium. The white metal is playing an especially key role in fuel cell research. The fuel cell is an exciting new technology: a device that combines hydrogen and oxygen, producing electricity, heat, and water, with virtually no pollution. The fuel cell promises to completely transform modern society, and palladium plays an important role in current research.

Truly, palladium is a metal for the 21st century!

Continued from Part 4
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Learn about the many uses of Palladium