Platinum is used in catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts and electrodes, platinum resistance thermometers, dentistry equipment, and jewelry. It was referenced in European writings as early as 16th century, but it was not until Antonio de Ulloa published a report on a new metal of Colombian origin in 1748 that it began to be investigated by scientists. Because it occurs naturally in the alluvial sands of various rivers, it was first used by pre-Columbian South American natives to produce artifacts. Consequently, platinum is often found chemically uncombined as native platinum. It has remarkable resistance to corrosion, even at high temperatures, and is therefore considered a noble metal. Platinum is one of the least reactive metals. Because of its scarcity in Earth's crust, only a few hundred tonnes are produced annually, and given its important uses, it is highly valuable and is a major precious metal commodity. It occurs in some nickel and copper ores along with some native deposits, mostly in South Africa, which accounts for 80% of the world production. It is one of the rarer elements in Earth's crust, with an average abundance of approximately 5 μg/kg. Platinum is a member of the platinum group of elements and group 10 of the periodic table of elements. Its name originates from Spanish platina, a diminutive of plata "silver." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78.
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