Short answers, pulled from the story.
English chemist William Hyde Wollaston discovered the metal in July 1802 and officially named it palladium in August of that same year. The name derived from the asteroid 2 Pallas which astronomers had identified just two months prior to his announcement.
Palladium is a soft silver-white metal with atomic number 46 and belongs to group 10 of the periodic table. It possesses the lowest melting point among platinum group metals and forms palladium oxide only when heated to 800 degrees Celsius.
Russia led global production with 88,000 kilograms output while South Africa followed closely behind in total volume during 2022. Norilsk Nickel remains the largest single producer accounting for 39 percent of worldwide supply alongside significant reserves in Canada and the United States.
An all-time peak hit twenty-nine hundred eighty-one dollars four cents on May third 2021 before falling by over two-thirds in subsequent years. Prices previously reached three thousand dollars per troy ounce in March 2022 following market fluctuations driven by automotive demand.
People allergic to nickel frequently exhibit similar reactions to palladium because both elements trigger contact dermatitis and immune responses. Dental alloys containing the element should be avoided by individuals with known sensitivities due to these cross-reactive properties.