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December 30, 2023
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| Word of the
Week--"platinum" |
Definition--chem (symbol Pt, atomic
number 78) a silvery-white, corrosive-resistant, precious metallic element
used to make jewelery, coins, electrical components, dentistry,
thermocouples, and as a catalyst.
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Discussion--Platinum occurs in
ultramafic rocks, quartz veins, and in placers. It was discovered in the
middle of the eighteenth century and proven an element of its own by
Scheffer. Though it is a ductile and malleable material, it has a high
density, nearly double that of lead. It is also very expensive and is
sometimes thought of as the next in the series silver, gold, and platinum.
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| Etymology--The term platinum
is borrowed from the Spanish platina, a diminitive of plata,
meaning silver. Platinum was so dubbed because of its resemblance
to silver.
The languages below all display similar roots. |
Foreign
Translations
| German: |
Platin (nt) |
| Dutch: |
platina |
| French: |
platine (m) |
| Italian: |
platino |
| Spanish: |
platino | |
Jane Ellis
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