Rhodium - The most expensive metal in the world is 5 times more expensive than gold

When it comes to expensive and rare metals, people will immediately think of gold. However, there is another metal that is superior in both cost and rarity, rhodium (symbol Rh in the periodic table) with a price of about 10,300 USD, one of the rarest metals in the world.

Rhodium - The most expensive metal in the world is 5 times more expensive than gold Picture 1

Rhodium was discovered by English chemist William Hyde Wollaston in 1803. This solid metal has a silvery white color.

Rhodium does not react easily with oxygen, and is an ideal catalyst, resisting both corrosion and oxidation.

Rhodium has a high melting point of 1,964 degrees Celsius, withstands water and air temperatures up to 600 degrees Celsius, insoluble in most acids (only sulfuric acid can be corrosive), so rhodium is used in manufactures automobiles, airplanes, electrical switches, resistance wires and high-temperature thermocouples.

Unlike common metals, rhodium has a high reflectivity of light, so they are often used in the jewelry industry, combined with gold, silver and some other materials to create jewelry products.

According to the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), Rhodium occurs in the Earth's crust at a density of about 0.000037 ppm (1 ppm = 1 milligram/kg), much lower than gold, at about 0.0013 ppm.

The estimated reserves of rhodium are about 3,000 tons. Rhodium is produced mainly in South Africa and Russia. Approximately 16 tons of rhodium are produced each year. Due to the high cost, Rhodium products usually only exist in the form of plating, not in monolithic form.

David Pac

Update 11 March 2023