Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A hard, durable, silvery-white metallic element that is used to form high-temperature alloys with platinum and is plated on other metals to produce a durable corrosion-resistant coating. Atomic number 45; atomic weight 102.905; melting point 1,964°C; boiling point 3,695°C; specific gravity 12.41 (20°C); valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. cross-reference: Periodic Table.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Chemical symbol, Rh; atomic weight, 103 (Jörgensen). A metal discovered in the beginning of the nineteenth century by Wollaston, associated with palladium in the ore of platinum.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (Chem.) A rare element of the light platinum group. It is found in platinum ores, and obtained free as a white inert metal which it is very difficult to fuse. Symbol Rh. Atomic weight 104.1. Specific gravity 12.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun a metallic chemical element (symbol Rh) with an atomic number of 45.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a white hard metallic element that is one of the platinum group and is found in platinum ores; used in alloys with platinum

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Greek rhodo-, rhodo- + –ium.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Ancient Greek ῥόδον (rhodon, "rose"), because of the colour of its salts' solutions.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word rhodium.

Examples

  • This group includes the well-known Platinum and the relatively obscure metals called rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium.

    Business Wire Travel News 2010

  • They're made of rhodium, which is an alloy of platinum. "

    Weekend of Party-Hopping in the Hamptons 2010

  • That said, rhodium has solid medium-term prospects.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

  • In terms of rarity, rhodium makes gold look like paper dollars: Last year, 114 ounces of gold were mined for every ounce of rhodium, according to Deutsche Bank.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

  • Erica Rannestad , an analyst at commodities consultancy and investment bank CPM Group, reckons rhodium consumption will grow by less than 5% this year against a 7% increase in supply.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

  • More importantly, rhodium has disconnected from its cousin platinum, falling 31% this year while platinum is down less than 10%.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

  • Relative to platinum and gold, the rhodium market is small and illiquid, worth just $1.2 billion at today's price.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

  • Yet, at just under $1,700 an ounce, rhodium is now cheaper than gold.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

  • This is usually achieved by electroplating the jewelry with rhodium.

    SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles - Part 1120 2009

  • As global demand for vehicles grows and emissions standards tighten further, so the surpluses of rhodium built up in recent years should be worked off.

    Rhodium's Rare Opportunity Liam Denning 2011

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Rh

    December 2, 2007