Palladium is a chemical element, having the chemical symbol Pd. Its atomic number (the number of protons) is 46. It has a standard atomic weight of 106.42 g•mol −1 and is a solid in its elemental form.
Palladium is considered to be a member of the "Transition metal" class of elements. At a pressure of 101.325 kPa, it has a boiling point of 2,963 °C and a melting point of 1,554.9 °C. Discovered in 1803 by Wallaston, Palladium is named after Pallas, the second asteroid, discovered at around the same time, itself named after the Greek goddess of wisdom.
It has a number of industrial and laboratory applications as a catalyst.
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
- Restricted Data Declassification Decisions 1946 to the Present, U.S. Department of Energy, 1 January 2001, RDD-7