The Platinum Decathlon – A Tribute to the Foresight of Antoine Baumé

摘要

Ten application areas and ten properties of platinum (or its alloys) are selected here to represent a “platinum decathlon”. Platinum has a unique combination of properties which make it eminently suitable for many applications from jewellery to anticancer drugs, from high-temperature engineering to a range of catalytic applications. The 18th century French chemist Antoine Baumé foresaw the desirability of platinum's use in industry and its use today in many essential areas bears this out.