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Platinum

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Konder (Kondyor) alkaline-ultrabasic massif (Konder placers; Konder mine), Aldan shield, Ayan-Maya district, Khabarovskiy Kray, Far-Eastern Region, Russia
© 2005 M. Kampf

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Formula:
Pt
System:IsometricColour:Steel grey to dark grey
Lustre:MetallicHardness:4 - 4½
Name:From Spanish "platina", diminutive of "plata", silver. The new metal found in large placer deposits during the sixteenth-century Spanish conquest of South America was called "platina del Pinto" after the Rio Pinto, Columbia.
This page provides mineralogical data about Platinum.

Classification of Platinum

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:1/A.14-70
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:1.AF.10

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
F : Platinum group elements
Dana 7th edition ID:1.2.1.1
Dana 8th edition ID:1.2.1.1

1 : NATIVE ELEMENTS AND ALLOYS
2 : Platinum Group Metals and Alloys
Hey's CIM Ref.:1.82

1 : Elements and Alloys (including the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au)
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Type Occurrence of Platinum

Type Locality:Pinto River, San Juan Basin, Mun. de Novita, Chocó Department, Colombia

Occurrences of Platinum

Geological Setting:Mafic and ultramafic rocks.

Physical Properties of Platinum

Lustre:Metallic
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Opaque
Colour:Steel grey to dark grey
Streak:Steel grey to dark grey
Hardness (Mohs):4 - 4½
Hardness (Vickers):VHN100=279 - 339 kg/mm2
Tenacity:Malleable
Fracture:Hackly
Density (measured):14 - 19 g/cm3
Density (calculated):21.472 g/cm3

Crystallography of Platinum

Crystal System:Isometric
Class (H-M):m3m (4/m 3 2/m) - Hexoctahedral
Space Group:Fm3m {F4/m 3 2/m}
Cell Parameters:a = 3.9231Å
Unit Cell Volume:V 60.38 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:4
Twinning:On {111}
Comment:Cubic crystals

Optical Data of Platinum

Type:Isotropic
Colour in reflected light:white

Chemical Properties of Platinum

Formula:
Pt
Essential elements:Pt
All elements listed in formula:Pt
Common Impurities:Fe,Ir,Os,Rh,Pd,Au,Cu

Relationship of Platinum to other Species

Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
1.AF.05Osmium
(Os,Ir,Ru)
1.AF.05Rutheniridosmine
(Ir,Os,Ru)
1.AF.05Ruthenium
(Ru,Ir)
1.AF.10Iridium
(Ir,Os,Ru)
1.AF.10Palladium
(Pd,Pt)
1.AF.10Rhodium
(Rh,Pt)
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
1.1Copper
Cu
1.2Silver
Ag
1.5Gold
Au
1.6Auricupride
Cu
 
3
Au
1.7Tetra-auricupride
AuCu
1.8Zinc
Zn
1.9Cadmium
Cd
1.10Danbaite
CuZn
 
2
1.11Zhanghengite
CuZn
1.12Mercury
Hg
1.13Kolymite
Cu
 
7
Hg
 
6
1.14Moschellandsbergite
Ag
 
2
Hg
 
3
1.15Eugenite
Ag
 
11
Hg
 
2
1.16Schachnerite
Ag
 
1.1
Hg
 
0.9
1.17Paraschachnerite
Ag
 
3
Hg
 
2
1.18Luanheite
Ag
 
3
Hg
1.19Weishanite
(Au,Ag)
 
3
Hg
 
2
1.20Indium
In
1.21Aluminium
Al
1.22Khatyrkite
(Cu,Zn)Al
 
2
1.23Cupalite
(Cu,Zn)Al
1.24Diamond
C
1.25Graphite
C
1.26Chaoite
C
1.27Lonsdaleite
C
1.28Silicon
Si
1.29Tin
Sn
1.30Lead
Pb
1.31Anyuiite
Au(Pb,Sb)
 
2
1.31Novodneprite
AuPb
 
3
1.32Leadamalgam
HgPb
 
2
1.33Arsenic
As
1.34Arsenolamprite
As
1.35Paxite
CuAs
 
2
1.36Koutekite
Cu
 
5
As
 
2
1.37Domeykite
Cu
 
3
As
1.38Algodonite
(Cu
 
1-x
As
 
x
)
1.39Novakite
Cu
 
20
AgAs
 
10
1.40Kutinaite
Cu
 
2
AgAs
1.41Antimony
Sb
1.42Stibarsen
AsSb
1.43Paradocrasite
Sb
 
3
As
1.44Horsfordite
Cu, Sb
1.45Cuprostibite
Cu
 
2
(Sb,Tl)
1.46Allargentum
(Ag
 
1-x
Sb
 
x
)
1.47Aurostibite
AuSb
 
2
1.48Dyscrasite
Ag
 
3
Sb
1.49Bismuth
Bi
1.50Maldonite
Au
 
2
Bi
1.51Sulphur
S
 
8
1.52Rosickýite
S
1.53Selenium
Se
1.54Tellurium
Te
1.55Chromium
Cr
1.56Rhenium
Re
1.57Iron
Fe
1.58Chromferide
Fe
 
3
Cr
 
1-x
 (x=0.6)
1.59Ferchromide
Cr
 
1.5
Fe
 
0.5-x
1.60Wairauite
CoFe
1.61Nickel
Ni
1.62Kamacite
(Fe,Ni)
1.63Taenite
(Fe,Ni)
1.64Tetrataenite
FeNi
1.65Awaruite
Ni
 
3
Fe
1.66Palladium
(Pd,Pt)
1.67Potarite
PdHg
1.68Paolovite
Pd
 
2
Sn
1.69Stannopalladinite
(Pd,Cu)
 
3
Sn
 
2
1.70Cabriite
Pd
 
2
CuSn
1.71Taimyrite
(Pd,Cu,Pt)
 
3
Sn
1.72Atokite
(Pd,Pt)
 
3
Sn
1.73Rustenburgite
(Pt,Pd)
 
3
Sn
1.74Zvyagintsevite
(Pd,Pt,Au)
 
3
(Pb,Sn)
1.75Plumbopalladinite
Pd
 
3
Pb
 
2
1.76Osmium
(Os,Ir,Ru)
1.77Iridium
(Ir,Os,Ru)
1.83Hongshiite
PtCu
1.84Niggliite
PtSn
1.85Isoferroplatinum
Pt
 
3
Fe
1.86Tetraferroplatinum
PtFe
1.87Tulameenite
Pt
 
2
CuFe
1.88Ferronickelplatinum
Pt
 
2
FeNi
1.89Rhodium
(Rh,Pt)
Related Minerals - Dana Grouping):

- +
1.2.1.2Iridium
(Ir,Os,Ru)
1.2.1.3Rhodium
(Rh,Pt)
1.2.1.4Palladium
(Pd,Pt)
1.2.1.5Rutheniridosmine
(Ir,Os,Ru)

Other Names for Platinum

Synonyms:
Native PlatinumPolyplatinum
Other Languages:
Albanian:Platini
Arabic:بلاتين
Armenian:Պլատին
Basque:Platino
Belarusian:Плаціна
Bengali:প্লাটিনাম
Bosnian (Latin Script):Platina
Bulgarian:Платина
Catalan:Platí
Chuvash:Платина
Corsican:Platinu
Croatian:Platina
Czech:Platina
Danish:Platin
Dutch:Platina
Erzya:Ашо сырне
Esperanto:Plateno
Estonian:Plaatina
Finnish:Platina
French:Platine
Friulian:Platin
Galician:Platino
Georgian:პლატინა
German:Platin
Gediegen Platin
Greek:Λευκόχρυσος
Haitian:Platin
Hebrew:פלטינה
Hungarian:Platina
Icelandic:Platína
Ido:Platino
Indonesian:Platina
Interlingua:Platino
Italian:Platino
Japanese:白金
Korean:백금
Kurdish (Latin Script):Platîn
Latin:Platinum
Latvian:Platīns
Lithuanian:Platina
Lojban:jinmrplati
Low Saxon:Platin
Luxembourgish:Platin
Macedonian:Платина
Malayalam:പ്ലാറ്റിനം
Manx:Platinum
Norwegian (Bokmål):Platina
Norwegian (Nynorsk):Platina
Occitan:Platin
Persian:پلاتین
Polish:Platyna
Portuguese:Platina
Quechua:Qullqiya
Romanian:Platină
Russian:Платина
Serbian (Cyrillic Script):Платина
Serbo-Croatian:Platina
Sicilian:Plàtinu
Simplified Chinese:自然铂
Slovak:Platina
Slovenian:Platina
Spanish:Platino
Swahili:Platini
Swedish:Platina
Tajik (Cyrillic Script):Платина
Tamil:பிளாட்டினம்
Thai:แพลทินัม
Traditional Chinese:白金
Turkish:Platin
Ukrainian:Платина
Vietnamese:Bạch kim
Welsh:Platinwm
Varieties:
AvaiteFerroan PlatinumPalladian PlatinumRhodic Platinum

Other Information

Other Information:Non magnetic to distinctly magnetic when rich in iron.
Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Industrial Uses:Catalysts, jewelry

References for Platinum

Reference List:

- +
Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged, 834pp.: 106-109.

Schneiderhöhn (1958): 315.

Canadian Mineralogist (1975): 13: 117-126.

Canadian Mineralogist (1991): 29: 231.

Fleet, M.E., De Almeida, C.M., and Angeli, N. (2002) Botryoidal platinum, palladium and potarite from the Bom Sucesso stream, Minas Gerais, Brazil: compositional zoning and origin. Canadian Mineralogist: 40: 341-355.

Internet Links for Platinum

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  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
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    • Localities for Platinum

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    Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2011. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them. Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. Mindat does not offer minerals for sale. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register.
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    Updated Mineral Entry: Plumbopyrochlore (of Atencio et al.)From Uwe Kolitsch, 11th Feb 2012 14:11:56