Therefore, he had essential importance in the discovery of Pt as an element. "Platinum has also been discovered in heavy concentrations in meteorites — first reported in F. G. Hawley's research papers, published in 1939," Luker says. Ulloa, a Spanish naval officer, mathematician, astronomer, and traveler, is commonly credited as the first scientist to describe platinum as a particular metal. Ruthenium was discovered by Karl Karlovich Klaus, a Russian chemist, in 1844 while analyzing the residue of a sample of platinum ore obtained from the Ural mountains. Its atomic number is 94. Plutonium is a metallic and radioactive element. Platinum metal became popular in such pieces due to its pale colour. Antonio de Ulloa y de la Torre-Giralt, FRS, FRSA, KOS (12 January 1716 – 3 July 1795) was a Spanish naval officer, scientist, and administrator. Platinum occurs naturally in the alluvial sands of various rivers, though there is little evidence of its use by ancient peoples. It was discovered in 1557 in Central America by the Italian-born French scientist Julius Scaliger (1484–1558) with the Spanish conquistadors and named ‘little silver’ in Spanish (platina). Discovered by - Origin of the name: The name is derived from the Spanish 'platina', meaning little silver. The American origin of platinum would initially give Spain a privileged position in its international trade. Plutonium was discovered in 1941 by scientists Joseph W. Kennedy, Glenn T. Seaborg, Edward M. McMillan and Arthur C. Wohl at the University of California, Berkley. [3] Chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6), the result of platinum dissolving in aqua regia, has various applications. Today, South Africa is also a world leader in platinum production. It is a highly useful element in electrolysis, because it is inert and will not dissolve when used as an electrode. A postage stamp issued in Spain in honor of Antonio de Ulloa, in the context of the third centenary of his birth (1716), is presented. Platinum has been used by the native Americans before Columbus arrived, so it has been discovered before 1492. It was discovered by the team of famous scientists Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Edwin M. McMillan, J. W. Kennedy, and A. C. Wahl. By the 1850s platinum cufflinks and shirt studs could be found, but technology did not yet exist to pull the metal into fine wires or form intricate shapes. It was created at the University of California, Berkeley in 1941. Platinum-cobalt, an alloy comprised of roughly 3 parts platinum and 1 part cobalt, is used to make extremely strong permanent magnets. Platinum is even found in outer space. In the 1880’s, Ontario discovered of platinum in its nickel-copper ores, and Canada became the world’s major platinum supplier after World War I. South Africa also became an important source for platinum beginning in the 1920’s when a farmer discovered the metal in a riverbed. Most platinum is derived from a mineral called cooperite, also known as platinum sulfide. Platinum was discovered in Russia in 1822, and shortly thereafter, it began to be fashioned into decorative chains. it is chiefly found in certain ores of nickel. More recently it was the metal of choice for the wedding bands of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, and … [6] Platinum-based anodes are used in ships, pipelines, and steel piers. However, the metal was used by pre-Columbian Americans near modern-day Esmeraldas, Ecuador to produce artifacts of a white gold-platinum alloy. Platinum was used for decorations by pre-Columbian South Americans. But in spite of that monopoly and the undeniable relevance of Ulloa in the history of platinum, giving the Spaniard the credit for its discovery would be an entirely different matter. Apparently, Jedrzej Sniadecki, a Polish chemist, had produced ruthenium in 1807 but he withdrew his claim of discovery after other scientists failed to replicate his results.