Finely divided palladium is able to adsorb 1000 to 3000 times its volume of hydrogen or acetylene gas.
Palladium resembles platinum chemically.
Ranking 71st is natural abundance among the elements in crustal rock, it is found with platinum and other metals of the platinum group in Russia, North and South America, Ethiopia an Australia. The main use for palladium is in the communications field, where it is used to cover electrical contacts in automatic switchgear. It is also used for dental crowns, for nonmagnetic springs in clocks and watches, and for coating special mirrors. Bayer Corporation is a research-based company with major businesses in health care and life sciences, and chemicals.