The
metal occurs in crude platinum, but rarely in considerable amount. It
is also found in small quantities in certain copper deposits
containing pyrrhotite and chalcopyrite, generally associated with a
little gold, silver, and platinum. Alloys of palladium and gold (alloys
known as white gold) also occur in nature. In gold and copper palladium
appears to be present in larger quantities than platinum, and the metal
is now recovered in several refineries. A certain part of this product
is derived from secondary sources, such as jewelers' and dentists'
scrap, but the larger part undoubtedly comes from the smelting of
palladium-bearing copper ores. The production of palladium from
primary sources in the United States in 1910 was about 2,100 ounces.
What part is derived from ores mined in the United States can not be
determined. Among the known sources of the metal are the copper-nickel
ores of Sudbury, in Ontario, Canada, the products of which are largely
refined in the United States. The Rambler mine in Wyoming, mentioned
above, also contains palladium besides copper and platinum. According
to the best authority the price of palladium in 1910 was about $1.75
per gram, or $54 per ounce troy. The imports of palladium in 1910,
according to the Bureau of Statistics, were 109 ounces troy, valued at
$3,570, which would give a value of only about $33 per ounce. The
quantity imported in 1910 was considerably less than in 1909, no doubt
because the domestic production was able to supply a large part of the
demand.
RHODIUM AND RUTHENIUM.
Rhodium
is a white metal of the color of aluminum. It is ductile and malleable
at red heat. The specific gravity of the melted metal is 12.1 (Deville
and Debray), and its melting point is about 2,000° C. The metal occurs
in crude platinum in quantities up to 4 per cent and is also contained
in the platinum arsenide, sperryhte, found at Sudbury, Canada.
The
principal use for this metal is for thermo elements employed in
high-temperature determinations. The elements consist of pure platinum
and platinum alloyed with 10 per cent of rhodium.
Small
quantities of the metal, with some ruthenium, have been made on an
experimental scale by the Port Orford Copper Co. from Canadian
copper-nickel ores. The price of pure rhodium is stated to be about $5
per gram, or about $155 per ounce troy.
In
1910 the imports of rhodium were 72 ounces, the value assigned being
$60.50 per ounce, or $4,356, which is considerably less than the
commercial value mentioned above.
Of ruthenium, alloyed with platinum, a small quantity was also imported, probably for chemical uses.
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