Platinum is a dense, silvery-white metal that is rare, valuable, and resistant to rust, used in jewelry, electronics, and car parts.
From Spanish 'platina', a diminutive of 'plata' meaning 'silver', so 'platina' meant 'little silver'. Spanish colonists first saw it as an annoying impurity in silver mines.
Platinum went from being thrown away as 'little silver' to becoming more expensive than gold in some markets. Its resistance to corrosion is why it quietly cleans car exhaust in catalytic converters while also shining in wedding rings.
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