What Is Palladium Metal?

Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston.

Is palladium better than gold?

In terms of durability, palladium is actually a harder metal than gold, with a 4.8 rating on the Mohs hardness scale, vs 2.5 for gold. ... A 10 or 14K gold (or over) white gold is considered one of the most durable precious metals, alongside palladium.

Where is palladium found?

Palladium is found as the free metal associated with platinum and other platinum group metals in Australia, Brazil, Russia, Ethiopia, and North and South America, as well as with nickel and copper deposits (from which it is recovered commercially) in Canada and South Africa.