The platinum metals

This concise yet comprehensive study opens a window onto the world of the platinum group—platinum, palladium, iridium, osmium, ruthenium and rhodium—by tracing their natural occurrences, physical characteristics, and early‑twentieth‑century commercial importance. Written by the scientific staff of a leading research institute, it combines rigorous analysis with accessible explanations, showing how these rare metals were extracted, valued, and employed across the British Empire and beyond. The introduction also sets the historical scene, noting how geopolitical upheavals dramatically reshaped global output just before the First World War.

The following chapters map the major deposits, from South Africa’s rich fields to the scattered sources in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australasia, and explore the diverse roles these metals played in industry, medicine and emerging technologies of the era. Listeners will gain a clear picture of the economic and scientific landscape that surrounded these precious materials, supported by detailed statistics, maps and references that bring the period’s mineral research to life.