Precious metals mainly refer to eight metal elements such as gold, silver and platinum group metals (ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium and platinum). Most of these metals have bright colors and strong chemical stability, so they are not easy to react with other chemicals under normal circumstances.
1, gold
Gold is a rarer, more precious and more valuable metal. Gold is a very important metal. It is not only a special currency for reserve and investment, but also an important material for jewelry industry, electronics industry, modern communication and aerospace industry.
2. Silver
Silver is often used as currency and ornament, and it was called silver when it was used as currency in ancient times. Silver not only has good electrothermal conductivity, but also has high photosensitivity and luminous characteristics, and is used in industry, photography, jewelry, currency manufacturing and so on.
3. Platinum
Platinum is a natural white precious metal. As early as 700 BC, platinum has been shining brilliantly in the history of human civilization. In the 2000-year history of human use of platinum, it has always been considered as one of the most precious metals.
4. ruthenium
Ruthenium is a hard, fragile and light gray multivalent rare metal element, belonging to platinum group metals. It is one of the rare metals with a content of only one billion in the earth's crust, but ruthenium is indeed the cheapest among platinum group metals, although other metals such as platinum and palladium are richer than ruthenium. Ruthenium has stable properties and strong corrosion resistance, and can resist the corrosion of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid and aqua regia at room temperature.
5. Rhodium
Rhodium is a silvery white hard metal with high reflectivity. Rhodium metal usually does not form oxides, and molten rhodium will absorb oxygen, but it will be released during solidification. Rhodium has a higher melting point and a lower density than platinum. Rhodium is insoluble in most acids. It is completely insoluble in nitric acid and slightly soluble in aqua regia.
6. palladium
Palladium is a silvery white transition metal, which is soft, ductile and plastic. It can be forged, calendered and stretched. Blocky palladium can absorb a lot of hydrogen, which makes its volume expand obviously, become brittle and even break into pieces. Palladium was discovered from platinum ore by British chemist wollaston in 1803, and it is an indispensable key material in high-tech fields such as aerospace and automobile manufacturing.
7. Osmium
Osmium is a member of platinum group metal, which belongs to heavy platinum group metal and has the highest known density. Osmium exists in osmium iridium ore. The osmium-containing solid is roasted in air, and the volatilized osmium tetroxide is absorbed by alcohol-alkali solution to obtain osmium acid salt, and then reduced by hydrogen to prepare metal osmium. Can be used for manufacturing alloys with ultra-high hardness. Alloys of osmium with rhodium, ruthenium, iridium or platinum are often used as bearings for record players, fountain pens, clocks and instruments.
8. Iridium (Ir)
Iridium is a rare element with an annual output and consumption of three tons on the earth's crust. Iridium is chemically stable. It is the most corrosion-resistant metal. Iridium is extremely stable to acid and insoluble in acid. Iridium-rhodium alloys are mostly used to manufacture scientific instruments, thermocouples and resistance wires. Adding iridium to platinum can improve the corrosion resistance of platinum in water, acid and halogen, and the mechanical strength below 500℃.
2. What are the types of precious metals investment?
1, physical precious metal
Physical precious metals are the most traditional investment products. Investors buy physical precious metals in full, wait for the precious metals market to rise and sell them to earn the difference. But for some small investors, the threshold for the full price of precious metals is higher. At the same time, the market scope of physical precious metals investment is small, and the market fluctuation is not big. If precious metals are worn, investors need to bear the losses themselves.
2. Precious metal TD
Precious metal TD is a unique investment product in China. At the same time, with a certain leverage ratio, investors can save some investment costs, can trade in two directions, and have great investment flexibility. However, the trading time of precious metal TD is divided into three stages: early, middle and late, with faults in the middle and faults in the price of precious metal, which is prone to certain investment risks in the investment process. Therefore, investors should be cautious when operating.
3. Spot precious metals
Spot precious metals are international investment products with large trading volume and fair market. Moreover, spot precious metals are also leveraged, and the leverage ratio of 1: 100 can further improve the capital utilization rate of investors. The trading time of spot precious metals is 24 hours, and there will be no fault in the middle, making it easier to grasp investment opportunities.