SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!
Need Help? Call 800-421-0200
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • COMPANY
  • BLOG
  • LOGIN

Jewelry Factory - North Hollywood, CA

Build your Custom Jewelry
  • No products in cart.
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Police & Fire Dept. Jewelry
  • Engagement & Wedding
  • Motorsports Jewelry
  • Jewelry Cleaning
  • Categories
  • Cart
  • Home
  • Uncategorized
  • WSU Scientists Surprised When Platinum Tops Gold in Extreme Pressure Test
 
Howard
Wednesday, 05 October 2022 / Published in Uncategorized

WSU Scientists Surprised When Platinum Tops Gold in Extreme Pressure Test

Scientists at Washington State University (WSU) were stunned when platinum outperformed gold in a test to determine how much pressure they could take.

Prior to the study, the scientists at WSU's Institute for Shock Physics speculated that gold would be the victor, but the final results weren't even close.

Platinum easily held its atomic structure at 3.5 million atmospheres, the pressure at the center of Earth. Then the researchers pushed platinum even further, and the metal continued to hold its structure to nearly 4 million atmospheres, at which point it reached 3,215 degrees Fahrenheit and began to melt.

On the other hand, the researchers were surprised when gold's structural integrity began to fail at a relatively modest 1.5 million atmospheres.

“Science is all about curiosity,” said Yogendra Gupta, director of the Institute for Shock Physics at WSU. “Even though I had 48 years of experience in this field, and I was certain gold would behave as I suspected, I was just wrong. That is why we do experiments in science.”

In the test, scientists used a powerful laser to subject four types of metals to immense pressure over short intervals of about 10 to 15 billionths of a second. They then used a synchrotron to send x‑ray pulses into the materials to study the changes in their physical structure.

“Basically, we can look inside things and provide information about their atomic structure,” Gupta said. “This is the only synchrotron-based facility in the US capable of doing these kinds of experiments.”

Silver and copper were also put to the test. Surprisingly, silver matched gold's performance, while copper lasted a little longer before transforming at 1.7 million atmospheres of pressure.

One atmosphere of pressure is what an average person will experience at sea level. At a depth of 5,000 meters (about 3 miles), the pressure will be approximately 500 atmospheres or 500 times greater than the pressure at sea level.

“It’s really just pure fun science more than anything, but nevertheless I find it fascinating,” Gupta said. “I kind of laugh about it because you will never produce 1.5 million atmospheres of pressure in any real-world scenario. For all practical purposes gold is stable.”

Platinum's superior performance at WSU's Institute for Shock Physics aligns neatly with the messaging on the website of the trade organization Platinum Guild International (PGI).

Writes the PGI, "It takes a lot to say 'forever,' but when you’re selecting bridal jewelry—or any jewelry, for that matter—it’s important to know that platinum is truly eternal. This noble metal, one of the strongest, natural materials on the planet, is also one of the longest lasting."

And now we've learned that platinum also performs best under pressure.

Credit: Image by 2×910, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What you can read next

Music Friday: Disney’s Luisa Flattens Diamonds and Platinum in ‘Surface Pressure’
Music Friday: MKTO Serenades a Girl Who’s ‘Shining Like a 5th Avenue Diamond’
Tokyo Olympic Gold Medal Has a Melt Value of $832, But This One From 1936 Fetched $1.46MM

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Aussie Company Acquires Canada’s Prized Ekati Diamond Mine for $136MM

    0 comments
  • Marlene Dietrich’s Famous Ruby Bracelet Could Fetch $4.5MM at Christie’s NY

    0 comments
  • Music Friday: ‘Diamonds’ Rise Up Out the Dust in Johnnyswim’s 2014 Anthem

    0 comments
  • Frequent Visitor to Crater of Diamonds State Park Scores Biggest Find This Year

    0 comments
  • Here’s Why It Took Only Seconds for 6-Year-Old to Unearth Lost Engagement Ring

    0 comments

NEWSLETTER

Stau updated with our latest offers.

CUSTOMER

  • Shipping
  • 30 Day Return Policy
  • Blog

COMPANY

  • About Us
  • Police & Fire Dept.
  • Engagement & Wedding

FEEDBACK

We would like to hear from you with any feedback about our website or products.

SUBMIT YOUR FEEDBACK

FOLLOW US

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
© 2019 Jewelry Factory | All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Police & Fire Dept.
  • Engagement & Wedding
TOP