Palladium: historical information

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Palladium was discovered by William Hyde Wollaston at 1803 in England. Origin of name: named after the asteroid "Pallas" which was discovered at about the same time and from the Greek name "Pallas", goddess of wisdom. Further information on origin of name and discovery dates

William Hyde Wollaston discovered palladium in 1803-4 in crude platinum ore from South America. He dissolved the ore in aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric and nitric acids), neutralised the acid with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and precipitated the platinum by treatment with ammonium chloride, NH4Cl, as ammonium chloroplatinate. Palladium was then removed as palladium cyanide by treatment with mercuric cyanide. The metal was produced from this cyanide by heating.

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palladium atomic number