There are many metals and minerals that we can find on our beloved planet Earth and although many times when we talk about the most expensive ones we usually think of gold for example, the truth is that there are some minerals that due to their characteristics or the difficulties to extracting them or finding them can reach stratospheric prices. These are then the most expensive minerals in the world.
These are the most expensive minerals in the world
The most expensive minerals in the world are those that are usually classified as ” precious metal ” given that due to their ductile and shiny nature, they usually stand out physically but also have properties that make them useful for use in various fields and not just jewelry . Let’s take a look at five of those “precious metals” that are in fact the most expensive minerals in the world today.
Californio
Today, californium turns out to be the most expensive mineral or metal in the world. One gram of this metal is estimated at about 9.5 million euros. This price on a cosmic level is due to the complexity of its manufacturing process. A small amount of this metal can produce three times the energy of an ordinary nuclear reactor.
Scandium
A gram of 99.9% pure scandium costs € 126 . It is actually one of the elements predicted by Mendeleev (who formulated the periodic law), between calcium and titanium. It will be identified 10 years later in a metal by Swedish chemist Lars Nilsson.
A grayish-white, smooth and very light metal, scandium is relatively widespread in different minerals, but in small amounts. It is mined mainly in China, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine. It has a strong recrystallization power: integrated in an aluminum alloy, it reinforces the strength and durability of the material by 50%. Originally, the Soviets used scandium in missile fins, which could then withstand considerable forces. Today, it is mainly used in the manufacture of frames for bicycles, golf clubs or baseball bats. But its applications are also found in the aerospace industry or in the refining of petroleum as a cracking product. Scandium iodide is also used in the manufacture of high-power electric lamps.
Plutonium
A gram of plutonium costs around € 2902 . This radioactive metal is exploited mainly in nuclear power plants. It is also used in the field of military weapons for the production of weapons of mass destruction. Its handling must be ensured by specialized engineers due to the strong radiation it emits.
Rodio
Rhodium is the chemical element with the symbol Rh and symbol 45 and was once considered the most expensive mineral in the world. It is a rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant, and chemically inert transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. It has only one natural isotope, ¹⁰³Rh.
Rhodium comes from the platinum family of metals, it is 100 times rarer than gold.
In 2008, rhodium reached the historic threshold of $ 321,000 per kilo , for which it won the award for the most expensive precious metal ever known. Immediately afterwards, its price plummeted and even reached $ 25,000 per kilo. The price of rhodium today is between 70,000 and 77,000 dollars per kilo , just below that of gold.
Naturally occurring rhodium is commonly found in minerals such as bowieite and rhodplumite as a free metal, alloyed with similar metals, and rarely as a chemical compound.
Platinum (platinum)
Platinum is the chemical element with the symbol Pt and the symbol 78. It is a silvery-white, ductile, dense, malleable, very little reactive, precious and silvery transition metal.
Beautiful, strong, malleable, ductile, stainless, and dense, platinum exhibits superior qualities to gold. Also, it’s weird.
It is used in jewelry, laboratory equipment, medicine, for certain electrical contacts and especially in vehicle catalytic converters. Platinum is one of the eight essential strategic raw materials. Since demand is constantly increasing, platinum is a great investment.
