It is found with deposits of other platinum metals, with nickel-copper ores, and with mercury. Palladium can be drawn into wire or hammered into sheets. Palladium is also used in making surgical instruments. Finely divided palladium, called palladium black, is used as a catalyst, a substance that causes or speeds up chemical changes. It is an important catalyst in a process called hydrogenation, which is used to improve the quality of oils and to prepare gasoline.
Automakers use palladium, together with platinum and rhodium, in catalytic converters.
The English chemist William H. Wollaston discovered palladium in 1803. It has the chemical symbol Pd, the atomic number 46, and the atomic weight 106.42. Palladium forms simple compounds with elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and chlorine. S. C. Cummings, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, Wright State University. How to cite this article.