Platinum: is a chemical element with the symbot Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition. Its name is derived from the spanish term platino, meaning "little silver"

Platinum is a member of the platinum grop of elements and grop 10 of the periodic table of elements It has six naturally occurring isotopes.It is one of the rare elements in eartha crust , with an average abundance of approximately 5 /kg. It occurs in some nikel and copper ores along with some native deposits, mostly in south africa, which accounts for 80% of the world production. Because of its scarcity in Earth's crust, only a few hundred tonnesare produced annually, and given its important uses, it is highly valuable and is a major precious metal commodity

Platinum is one of the least reactive metals. It has remarkable resistance to corrosion, even at high temperatures, and is therefore considered anoble metal Consequently, platinum is often found chemically uncombined as native platinum. Because it occurs naturally in the alluvial sands of various rivers, it was first used by pre-columbian South American natives to produce artifacts. It was referenced in European writings as early as 16th century, but it was not until antonio de ulloa published a report on a new metal of colombian origin in 1748 that it began to be investigated by scientists.

Platinum is used in catalytic conver laboratory equipment, electrical contacts and eletrodes platinum resistance thermometers dentistey equipment, and jewelry. Being a heavy metal it leads to health problems upon exposure to its salts; but due to its corrosion resistance, metallic platinum has not been linked to adverse health effects. Compounds containing platinum, such as cisplatin oxaliplatin and carboplatin are applied in chemotherapy against certain types of cancer.