The rhodium is the most expensive metal in the world and is from the same group as platinum, but much rarer and more valuable. Your price, which exceeds the value of gold, platinum and even diamondIt is high because it cannot be extracted from mines, being a byproduct of the refining of other metals.
The white-white metallic element has a high level of reflection and is strongly corrosion resistant. This makes it a commodity sought by many industrial sectors, especially the automotive.
The price of rhodium has suffered significant fluctuations, with a very large increase since 2019. Its grass value exceeded $ 163 in July, which gives more than $ 800 in Brazilian values. However, due to the wide variation, the value can be up to five times higher.
To get an idea, the current value of gold is about $ 100 the grass, approximately $ 600, according to the Trading Economics.
How was the rhodium discovered?
The rhodium is One of the six metals of the Platinum Group (MGP)along with the platinum itself, the palladium, the bone, the iridium and the ruthenium. He was discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston, who extracted him from a platinum fraction from South America.
Its name derives from the Greek word “Rhodon”, which means rose, a reference to the reddish color of metal salts. The occurrence of rhodium in the terrestrial crust is approximately 0.000037 parts per million, which makes it very rare and difficult to extract.
Most of the rhodium supply comes from South Africawhich accounts for more than 85% of the global supply of this metal. Another very important producer is Russiawith the rest of the world contributing only a small fraction of production.
It is mainly extracted as a byproduct of platinum mining and palladium or nickel, and there is no primary rhodium mine. For all this, It is possible to invest in rhodiumbut experts recommend funds with Bolsa Bolsa negotiation (ETFs), where you can apply in a fund whose value is linked to the rhodium.
How does the most expensive metal supply in the world work?
Rhodium supply has difficulty adjusting production according to demand. This happens by extreme rarity of the metal content in the earth’s crust and by the challenges in its mining and extraction.
In addition, geopolitical factors in South Africa and Russia, such as wars and social disorders, can also impact rhodium supply, making it even more precious. This combination of high demand and difficulties in its supply conspires to an increasingly higher value.
Ródio Applications: where can metal be used?
The main use of rhodium, the most expensive metal in the world, is in automotive catalytic converters, which reduce the amount of nitrogen oxides (NOX) emitted in the atmosphere by exhaust gases. Therefore, it is strategic in containing climate transformations. In 2019, almost 90% of the demand for rhodium came from the automotive catalysts sector.
Rode is exceptionally effective in converting NOX into harmless gases, making it the favorite metal for NOX control and very strategic in the process of reducing the carbon emissions of the economy.
