This element is not currently sponsored. To sponsor this element yourself, please contact Michelle Saxton, Dept. C Rhodium was discovered by Wollaston in 1803. Rhodium metal is silvery-white and at red heat slowly changes in air to the sesquioxide. Rhodium's major use is as an alloying agent to harden platinum and palladium, which are used for furnace windings, thermocouple elements, bushings for glass fiber production, electrodes for aircraft spark plugs, and laboratory crucibles.
Plated rhodium is exceptionally hard and is used for optical instruments.
Rhodium is also used for jewelry, for decoration, and as a catalyst.