Platinum is a chemical element with symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, gray-white transition metal. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina, which is literally translated into "little silver".
Three reasons Platinum stands out
1
Used in jewelry, catalytic converters, and fuel cells.
2
A compound of this metal called cisplatin is one of the most widely used and effective chemotherapy drugs in the world.
3
Spanish conquistadors initially dismissed it as inferior silver and called it "little silver" due to its appearance.
A noble metal that also fights cancer
Platinum is dense, workable, and exceptionally resistant to corrosion. Its surface catalyzes reactions in exhaust systems, fuel cells, and chemical plants. Platinum compounds behave very differently from the metal: cisplatin damages DNA and became one of medicine’s most important chemotherapy drugs.
Recognizing Platinum in Elementle
If Platinum is the mystery element, guesses below atomic number 78 point up and guesses above it point down. Its symbol is Pt: a green letter matches the same position in that symbol, while a yellow letter belongs in another position.
The family clue turns green for transition metal guesses. Compare Iridium (Ir), number 77 and Gold (Au), number 79: they share the family clue, but their atomic numbers and symbols help you tell them apart.
Values are reference data, not a specification for every temperature, pressure, or allotrope. Unknown properties are left unavailable. Superheavy-element predictions remain uncertain.
The introduction and original editorial story are adapted from Wikipedia contributors via Periodic-Table-JSON. Element descriptions and their adaptations are available under CC BY-SA 3.0. Numerical attributes use the PubChem periodic-table dataset, retrieved September 22, 2026.