RobJim
Senior Member
Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 320
Location: Los Angeles, CA
|
 Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2005 1:34 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
Guest is basically right. Here's some more information taken from the Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum#History
The Native Americans used platinum before the Europeans came to America. I don't know the details of which tribes used it or how they did so.
The first European reference to platinum was in 1557. The Italian Julius Caesar Scaliger described a mysterious metal found in Central American between Panama and Mexico.
When the Spanish began to find it as an impurity in their Colombian silver mines, they named it "platina" (little silver). At this time they considered it an annoying impurity and discarded it.
King Philip V (of Spain I assume) sent a geographical expedition to Peru which lasted from 1735 to 1745. On the voyage were Antonio de Ulloa, an astronomer, and Don Jorge Juan y Santacilia. The Wikipedia entry claims both 'discovered' the metal, though it only talks about Ulloa's contribution in any detail. I guess by 'discover' they mean that the metal was scientifically examined and characterized.
While in Peru, Ulloa observed the metal as an impurity in gold mines in Colombia. On the way back to Spain, British privateers captured the vessel and took Ulloa back to England. Though England treated him well it denied him the opportunity to publish about the metal until 1748. Unfortunately in 1741 Charles Wood independently isolated the metal.
|
|
