Appearance Palladium is a steel-white metal which is lustrous, malleable and ductile. It does not tarnish in air. It is found associated with platinum and other metals in deposits in the former USSR, North and South America and Australia. It is extracted commercially from these latter ores. Uses Finely divided palladium is a good catalyst and is used for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions.
White gold is an alloy of gold decolourised by the addition of palladium.
Hydrogen easily diffuses through heated palladium and this provides a way of purifying the gas. Biological Role Palladium has no known biological role, and is non-toxic. General Information Palladium resists corrosion, but dissolves in oxidising acids and fused alkalis. At room temperature the metal has the unusual property of absorbing up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen.