When it comes to jewelry many of us dream of a dazzling pearl or diamonds, depending on the size of our wallet. In most cases, the chain or setting that holds the jewelry itself plays second fiddle.
However, there is a reason why your neighbor hides gold coins and your father locks the family silver in a safe. Gold and silver are extremely valuable materials due to their rarity, high socio-economic value, non-reactivity, ability to resist corrosion and oxidative forces. From year to year, even from month to month, prices for these metals fluctuate significantly.
However, among other things, these valuable metals are also used for industrial purposes. For example, platinum group metals are used for installation on laboratory equipment, dental materials and electronics. Precious and valuable metals also serve as an investment vehicle. It is important to note that the conventional unit of weight for precious metals is the troy ounce, which is equal to 1.1 standard ounces or 0.031 kg.
Let's take a look at the most valuable metals in the world and understand what makes them so special.
10. Indium
If precious metals had a personality, indium would probably be a whiny baby. It is very soft (literally and figuratively), has an indigo color inside (named after its spectral line is that color), and makes a sort of "scream" when bent.
Indium is a rare metal that is extracted from zinc, lead, iron and copper ores. In its pure form, indium is a white metal that is extremely malleable and very shiny. It was first widely used during World War II as bearings on aircraft engines. Indium is also used to create corrosion-resistant mirrors, semiconductors, alloys, and electrical conductivity in a variety of devices.
In 2009, the average price for indium was $500 per kilogram (15 per troy ounce), with China, South Korea and Japan considered its largest producers. With rising prices for indium, its processing and further disposal is becoming increasingly popular.
9. Silver
Silver is one of the most valuable metals on earth. This shiny white metal in its pure form is the finest electrical and thermal conductor, yet it has the lowest resistance.
You probably know the main uses of silver - jewelry, coins, photography, various circuits, dentistry, batteries. In unusual applications, silver can be used to prevent the spread of bacteria on surfaces mobile phone, remove unpleasant odor from shoes, and also avoid the appearance of mold on treated wood.
Silver is often used in alloys with copper, gold and lead-zinc ores. The largest producers of silver are Peru, China, Mexico and Chile. The average price of silver is $432 per kilogram (13.40 per troy ounce), although prices are rising regularly. Due to its many uses, silver is considered one of the most valuable metals in the world.
8. Rhenium
Although perhaps not as well known as gold and platinum, rhenium silver is one of the densest metals and has the third highest melting point.
Because of its similar properties, rhenium, discovered in 1925, is used in high-temperature gas turbine engines. This metal is also added to nickel heat-resistant alloys to improve resistance to high temperatures. Other applications include thermocouples, electrical materials, etc.
Rhenium is a byproduct of molybdenum, which is essentially a byproduct of copper mining. Chile, Kazakhstan and the USA top the list of countries mining this valuable metal. Prices vary widely, with the latest jump from $2,419 per kilogram to $4,548.
7. Palladium
In 1803, William Hyde Wollaston found a way to separate palladium from the surrounding platinum ores. This grayish-white precious metal is prized for its rarity, ductility, resistance to high temperatures, and its ability to absorb large amounts of hydrogen at room temperature.
Palladium, named after greek goddess Pallas is one of the members of the precious metals group. Its valuable properties are in high demand, so it is used in various industries Industry: Automotive manufacturers rely on it to make catalytic converters that control emissions; jewelers use it to create white gold alloys; Electronics manufacturers use it to coat their devices because palladium has good conductive properties.
Although for Lately Palladium prices have jumped, however, with an average price of $8,483 per kilogram (263 per troy ounce). Almost half of the palladium is produced in Russia, followed by South Africa, USA, Canada and other countries.
6. Osmium
Osmium is one of the densest elements on earth, it is bluish-silver in color and was discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant. He also discovered iridium (#5 on our list). The debate about which of these metals is heavier (osmium or iridium) has not yet been resolved.
Rarely found osmium is usually found in ores of other platinum group metals; it is mined in some regions of Russia, Northern and South America. The average price for it is $12,700 per kilogram.
This very hard metal has an extremely high melting point, making it difficult to handle. Osmium is primarily used to strengthen platinum alloys in electrical contacts, fibers, and other applications. It is worth noting that there are dangers associated with processing osmium, as it releases toxic oxides that can irritate the skin and damage the eyes.
5. Iridium
This metal is by far the most extreme member of the platinum group. He white, has a surprisingly high melting point, is one of the densest elements and the most corrosion-resistant metal. Water, air, acids have no real effect on iridium.
Due to its similar properties, it is extremely difficult to extract and even more difficult to process. Most of it comes from South Africa, it is extracted from platinum ores and acts as a by-product of nickel mining. Its average price per kilogram is $13,548. Its unique features allow this hard metal to contribute to advances in the fields of medicine, electronics, and automotive. Even jewelers are trying to use iridium in some of their exclusive creations.
4. Ruthenium
Ruthenium, a bright gray metal, was discovered in 1844 by Russian scientist Karl Karlovich Klaus. This member of the platinum group retains many of the characteristics of its peers, including hardness, rarity, and resistance to the elements. At the same time, ruthenium melts at a temperature of 800 degrees Celsius.
Ruthenium is found in similar platinum group ores in the regions of Russia, North and South America, and Canada. Prices for this metal vary, with an average price of $13,548 per kilogram (420 per troy ounce).
After a complex chemical processing process, the metal can be isolated and used for a variety of purposes. It is added to an alloy of platinum and palladium to increase hardness (in jewelry) and for better resistance (with aggressive components, especially titanium). Ruthenium has also become quite popular in the field of electronics as a way to improve the efficiency of electrical contacts.
3. Gold
Gold has always been a coveted commodity, luring everyone from the Egyptians who used it to decorate ancient coffins to the 19th-century gold miners who scoured every corner of the California coast for nuggets.
Due to its universal desirability, strength and ductility, gold remains one of the most popular metals for investment. The average gold price in 2009 was $30,645 per kilogram (950 per ounce), but in just one year the price jumped to $40,290.
The largest gold mines are located in South Africa, the USA, Australia and China. Typically, gold is separated from the surrounding rocks and minerals by panning, after which it is ready for various chemical reactions and smelting.
Besides its use in jewelry, it is also used in industry. Due to its conductivity, it often becomes part of various electrical appliances, and its reflective surface allows it to be used in radiation shields and in the production of office windows.
2. Platinum
The average price for this dazzling silver metal is $38,290 per kilogram. Mined primarily in South Africa, Russia and Canada, platinum has made a name for itself due to its flexibility, density and non-corrosive properties. In addition, like palladium, platinum can absorb large amounts of hydrogen.
This valuable metal has become widely used in the jewelry industry for its lustrous appearance and good resistance. Platinum is also used in areas such as dentistry, aeronautics and weapons production.
1. Rhodium
Rhodium is one of the most valuable metals in the world. This shiny, silver-colored metal has remarkable reflective properties, which is why it is used in headlights, mirrors, and jewelry finishing.
In addition, rhodium is very valuable in the automotive industry. However, due to its high melting point and ability to resist corrosion, rhodium is an important element in other industries. This extremely rare and valuable metal is only mined in certain regions. About 60 percent of rhodium comes from South Africa, followed by Russia. Although the price of this metal has been declining over the years, it is still the most expensive valuable metal currently in existence, with an average price of $46,516 per kilogram.
This basic list of ten elements is the heaviest in terms of density per cubic centimeter. However, note that density is not mass, it simply measures how tightly packed the mass of an object is.
Now that we understand this, let's take a look at the heaviest ones in the entire known universe.
10. Tantalum
Density per 1 cm³ - 16.67 g
The atomic number of tantalum is 73. This blue-gray metal is very hard and also has a super high melting point.
9. Uranium 
Density per 1 cm³ - 19.05 g
Discovered in 1789 by the German chemist Martin H. Klaprot, the metal only became true uranium almost a hundred years later, in 1841, thanks to the French chemist Eugene Melchior Peligot.
8. Tungsten (Wolframium) 
Density per 1 cm³ - 19.26 g
Tungsten exists in four different minerals and is also the heaviest of all elements and plays an important biological role.
7. Gold (Aurum) 
Density per 1 cm³ - 19.29 g
They say money doesn't grow on trees, but the same can't be said about gold! Small traces of gold have been found on the leaves of eucalyptus trees.
6. Plutonium 
Density per 1 cm³ - 20.26 g
Plutonium exhibits a colorful oxidation state in aqueous solution, and can also spontaneously change oxidation state and color! This is a real chameleon among the elements.
5. Neptunium 
Density per 1 cm³ - 20.47 g
Named after the planet Neptune, it was discovered by Professor Edwin McMillan in 1940. It also became the first synthetic transuranium element from the actinide family to be discovered.
4. Rhenium 
Density per 1 cm³ - 21.01 g
The name of this chemical element comes from the Latin word "Rhenus", which means "Rhine". It was discovered by Walter Noddack in Germany in 1925.
3. Platinum 
Density per 1 cm³ - 21.45 g
One of the most precious metals on this list (along with gold), and is used to make almost everything. As strange fact: All the platinum mined (down to the last particle) could fit in an average sized living room! Not much, actually. (Try to put all the gold in it.)
2. Iridium
Density per 1 cm³ - 22.56 g
Iridium was discovered in London in 1803 by the English chemist Smithson Tennant along with osmium: elements present in natural platinum as impurities. Yes, iridium was discovered purely by accident.
1. Osmium
Density per 1 cm³ - 22.59 g
There is nothing heavier (per cubic centimeter) than osmium. The name of this element comes from the ancient Greek word "osme", which means "smell", because chemical reactions its dissolution in acid or water is accompanied by an unpleasant, persistent odor.
A group of chemical elements that have the properties of metals are called heavy metals. Their characteristic feature is high atomic weight and high densities.
There are several definitions of this group, but in any interpretation the indispensable indicators are:
- atomic weight (this indicator should be above 50);
- density (it must exceed the density of iron - 8 g/cm3).
In general, with classification of heavy metals important indicators:
- chemical properties;
- physical properties;
- biological activity;
- toxicity.
No less relevant is the factor of presence in the industrial and economic sphere.
The heaviest metal
Scientists are still arguing which metal is the heaviest:
- osmium (atomic mass - 76);
- iridium (atomic mass - 77).
The mass of both metals differs literally by thousandths.
Iridium discovered in 1803 by the Englishman Tennat.
The scientist worked with polymetallic ore, in which the presence of silver, platinum and lead was observed in different proportions.
To the chemist's amazement, iridium was also found there. The discovery of the English chemist was unique, since iridium in earth's crust Hardly ever. It is found only if a meteorite has ever fallen in the search area. Scientists are inclined to believe that the small presence of iridium in the earth's crust is due precisely to its mass. There is a scientific opinion that most of the iridium literally “leaked” into the center of the earth’s crust at the time of the birth of the Earth.
The main features of iridium are:
- resistance to any mechanical and chemical exposure(iridium practically cannot be processed in any way);
- colossal chemical inertness.
In industry, the iridium isotope is used by paleontologists on excavations to determine which of them are of artificial origin.
Osmium was discovered a year later - in 1804. It was also found in polymetallic ore. This metal is also processed with the greatest difficulty, both chemical and mechanical.
On planet Earth, osmium is found, like iridium, in meteorite impact sites.
However, there are several regions in which large deposits of osmium are noted:
- Kazakhstan;
- America;
- South Africa (the osmium deposit is especially large here).
In industry, osmium is used in the production of incandescent lamps. In addition, it is used where refractory materials are required. And due to the increased density of osmium, it was adopted by doctors - surgical instruments are made from it.
Heavy metals in soil
The very definition of “severe” is often considered by specialists not in a chemical aspect, but in a medical one. In addition, for ecologists this term is also relevant when determining the degree of danger of a particular object for environmental protection activities.
The presence of heavy metals in the soil depends on the composition of the rock. Rocks, in turn, are formed in the process of development of territories. Chemical composition soil is represented by rock weathering products and depends on the conditions of repeated transformation.
IN modern world Anthropogenic human activity largely determines the composition of the soil. Heavy metals are a factor in soil pollution. They are classified as toxicants because they are all toxic to one degree or another.
In the process of human industrial activity, heavy metals are often mixed with:
The task of environmental scientists is to create conditions that prevent the dispersion of toxicants in the biosphere.
Osmium is currently defined as the heaviest substance on the planet. Just one cubic centimeter of this substance weighs 22.6 grams. It was discovered in 1804 by the English chemist Smithson Tennant; when gold was dissolved in a test tube, a precipitate remained. This happened due to the peculiarity of osmium; it is insoluble in alkalis and acids.
The heaviest element on the planet
It is a bluish-white metallic powder. It occurs in nature in seven isotopes, six of which are stable and one is unstable. It is slightly denser than iridium, which has a density of 22.4 grams per cubic centimeter. Of the materials discovered to date, the heaviest substance in the world is osmium.
It belongs to the group of lanthanum, yttrium, scandium and other lanthanides.
More expensive than gold and diamonds
Very little of it is mined, about ten thousand kilograms per year. Even the largest source of osmium, the Dzhezkazgan deposit, contains about three ten-millionth parts. The market value of the rare metal in the world reaches about 200 thousand dollars per gram. Moreover, the maximum purity of the element during the purification process is about seventy percent.
Although Russian laboratories managed to obtain a purity of 90.4 percent, the amount of metal did not exceed several milligrams.
Density of matter beyond planet Earth
Osmium is undoubtedly the leader of the heaviest elements on our planet. But if we turn our gaze into space, then our attention will reveal many substances heavier than our “king” of heavy elements.
The fact is that in the Universe there are conditions somewhat different than on Earth. The gravity of the series is so great that the substance becomes incredibly dense.
If we consider the structure of the atom, we will find that the distances in the interatomic world are somewhat reminiscent of the space we see. Where planets, stars and others are at a fairly large distance. The rest is occupied by emptiness. This is exactly the structure that atoms have, and with strong gravity this distance decreases quite significantly. Up to the “pressing” of some elementary particles into others.
Neutron stars are super-dense space objects
By searching beyond our Earth, we may find the heaviest matter in space in neutron stars.
These are quite unique space inhabitants, one of the possible types of stellar evolution. The diameter of such objects ranges from 10 to 200 kilometers, with a mass equal to our Sun or 2-3 times more.
This cosmic body mainly consists of a neutron core, which consists of flowing neutrons. Although, according to some scientists’ assumptions, it should be in a solid state, reliable information does not exist today. However, it is known that it is neutron stars that, having reached their compression limit, subsequently transform into a colossal release of energy, on the order of 10 43 -10 45 joules.
The density of such a star is comparable, for example, to the weight of Mount Everest placed in a matchbox. This is hundreds of billions of tons in one cubic millimeter. For example, to make it more clear how high the density of matter is, let’s take our planet with its mass of 5.9 × 1024 kg and “turn” it into a neutron star.
As a result, in order to equal the density of a neutron star, it must be reduced to the size of an ordinary apple, with a diameter of 7-10 centimeters. The density of unique stellar objects increases as you move toward the center.
Layers and density of matter
The outer layer of the star is represented in the form of a magnetosphere. Directly below it, the density of the substance already reaches about one ton per cubic centimeter. Given our knowledge of the Earth, at the moment, this is the heaviest substance of the discovered elements. But don't rush to conclusions.
Let's continue our research into unique stars. They are also called pulsars because of the high speed of rotation around their axis. This indicator for various objects ranges from several tens to hundreds of revolutions per second.
Let us proceed further in the study of superdense cosmic bodies. This is followed by a layer that has the characteristics of a metal, but is likely similar in behavior and structure. Crystals are much smaller than we see in the crystal lattice of Earthly substances. To build a line of 1 centimeter crystals, you will need to lay out more than 10 billion elements. The density in this layer is one million times higher than in the outer layer. This is not the heaviest material in the star. Next comes a layer rich in neutrons, the density of which is a thousand times higher than the previous one.
Neutron star core and its density
Below is the core, this is where the density reaches its maximum - twice as high as the overlying layer. The substance of the core of a celestial body consists of all elementary particles known to physics. With this, we have reached the end of the journey to the core of a star in search of the heaviest substance in space.
The mission in search of substances unique in density in the Universe seems to be completed. But space is full of mysteries and undiscovered phenomena, stars, facts and patterns.
Black holes in the Universe
You should pay attention to what is already open today. These are black holes. Perhaps these mysterious objects may be candidates for the fact that the heaviest matter in the Universe is their component. Note that the gravity of black holes is so strong that light cannot escape.
According to scientists, matter drawn into the space-time region becomes so dense that there is no space left between elementary particles.
Unfortunately, beyond the event horizon (the so-called boundary where light and any object, under the influence of gravity, cannot leave a black hole), our guesses and indirect assumptions based on the emission of particle streams follow.
A number of scientists suggest that space and time mix beyond the event horizon. There is an opinion that they may be a “passage” to another Universe. Perhaps this is true, although it is quite possible that beyond these limits another space opens up with completely new laws. An area where time exchanges “place” with space. The location of the future and the past is determined simply by the choice of following. Like our choice to go right or left.
It is potentially possible that there are civilizations in the Universe that have mastered time travel through black holes. Perhaps in the future people from planet Earth will discover the secret of traveling through time.
If you think that the heaviest metal on Earth is mercury, then you are mistaken! The fact is that today there are two main candidates for this “position”: Osmium (Os), which has an atomic weight of 76, and also iridium (Ir), which has an atomic weight of 77. Both metals belong to the platinum group, and therefore ( which is quite logical) have an extremely high density. Frankly speaking, it is difficult to say which is the heaviest metal: taking into account all the errors, we can assume that their mass differs by thousandths.
Iridium
If we talk about iridium, this wonderful metal was discovered back in 1803. This great discovery belongs to an Englishman named Smithson Tennat. It is easy to understand that for the first time this talented chemist discovered traces of this metal in polymetallic ore containing lead, platinum, silver... and also iridium. The very name of this substance, which claims to be the “heaviest metal in the world,” can be translated from the ancient Greek dialect as “rainbow.”
Where is iridium found?
It must be said that this find would be unique even for our time, since the earth’s crust contains negligible fractions of iridium, while it is much more often found in places where meteorites fall. But scientists say that this heaviest metal could be distributed on the surface of our planet in much larger volumes if not for its atomic mass. It is believed that during the birth of the Earth, most of it simply “floated away” in the direction of the earth’s core, pushing through the then soft rock with its mass.
Features of iridium
The peculiarity of this heavy metal is that it is incredibly difficult to process and has impressive chemical inertness. Even if you dip a piece of iridium into the famous “regia vodka”, he will not pay the slightest attention to it! The iridium isotope “192m2” is widely used in industry. This heaviest metal is especially widely used by paleontologists, who use it to identify artifacts of artificial origin found in the thickness of the earth.
Osmium
By the way, osmium was discovered in 1804, that is, exactly a year later than the discovery of iridium. As in the previous case, it was discovered in polymetallic ore. It was discovered by accident: there was some sediment left in the solution of aqua regia and ore, which could not have been there. Osmium, being no different from its “brother,” is practically impossible to subject to mechanical processing. It is also often found in meteorites, but there is a lot of it on the earth itself: there are quite large deposits in our country and in the USA, and the largest production is carried out in South Africa. This heaviest metal is most often used in the production of incandescent lamps and other devices that require refractory materials. Due to its exceptional strength, it is also used to produce the best surgical instruments.
Uses of osmium
The isotope most often used in industry and science is osmium 187. It is often used to determine the age of iron meteorites. By the way, unlike “natural” osmium, its only deposit is in Kazakhstan, and due to its rarity, one gram of this substance costs more than ten thousand dollars.
