Science, Tech, Math Science Palladium Facts Palladium Chemical & Physical Properties Share Flipboard Email Print Palladium is a soft silvery-white metal. Tomihahndorf, wikipedia.org Science Chemistry Periodic Table Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry in Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Updated March 11, 2017 Palladium Basic Facts Atomic Number: 46Symbol: PdAtomic Weight: 106.42Discovery: William Wollaston 1803 (England)Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10Word Origin: Palladium was named for the asteroid Pallas, which was discovered approximately the same time (1803). Pallas was the Greek goddess of wisdom.Properties: Palladium has a melting point of 1554°C, boiling point of 2970°C, specific gravity of 12.02 (20°C), and valence of 2, 3, or 4. It is a steel-white metal which does not tarnish in air. Palladium has the lowest melting point and density of the platinum metals. Annealed palladium is soft and ductile, but it becomes much stronger and harder through coldworking. Palladium is attacked by nitric acid and sulfuric acid. At room temperature, the metal can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen. Palladium can be beaten into leaf as thin as 1/250,000 of an inch.Uses: Hydrogen readily diffuses through heated palladium, so this method is often used to purify the gas. Finely divided palladium is used as a catalyst for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Palladium is used as an alloying agent and for making jewelry and in dentistry. White gold is an alloy of gold which has been decolorized by the addition of palladium. The metal is also usd to make surgical instruments, electrical contacts, and watches.Sources: Palladium is found with other metals of the platinum group and with nickel-copper deposits. Element Classification: Transition MetalPalladium Physical DataDensity (g/cc): 12.02Melting Point (K): 1825Boiling Point (K): 3413Appearance: silvery-white, soft, malleable and ductile metalAtomic Radius (pm): 137Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 8.9Covalent Radius (pm): 128Ionic Radius: 65 (+4e) 80 (+2e)Specific Heat (@20°C J/g mol): 0.244 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 17.24Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 372.4Debye Temperature (K): 275.00Pauling Negativity Number: 2.20First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 803.5Oxidation States: 4, 2, 0Lattice Structure: Face-Centered CubicLattice Constant (Å): 3.890References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Lange's Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry & Physics (18th Ed.) Periodic Table of the ElementsReturn to the Periodic Table citecite this article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Palladium Facts." ThoughtCo, Mar. 11, 2017, thoughtco.com/palladium-facts-606573. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2017, March 11). Palladium Facts. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/palladium-facts-606573 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Palladium Facts." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/palladium-facts-606573 (accessed April 23, 2018). copy citation Continue Reading