Mineral Resources Potential - Geothermal Resources

72 Mineral Resources Potential of Ethiopia
magma mixing; volatile gain or loss. Often platinum is associated
with nickel, capper, chromium, and cobalt deposits. Platinum is often
fbund as native platinum and alloyed with iridium as platiniridium.
The platinum arsenide, sperrylite, is a major source of platinum
associated with nickel ores in the Sudbury Basin deposit. The rare
sulfide mineral cooperite, (Pt, Pd, Ni) S, contains platinum along with
palladium and nickel. Cooperite occurs in the Merensky Reef within
the Bushveld Complex, Transvgal, South Africa. Platinum, often
accompanied by small amounts of other platinum family metals,
occurs in alluvial placer deposits in the Witwatersrand of South
Africa, Colombia, Ontario, the Ural Mountains, and in cemin western
U.S. states (Wolfe, 1984). Platinum is produced commercially as a
by-product of nickel ore processing in the Sudbury deposit. The huge
quantities of nickel ore processed makes up for the fact that pIatinum
is present as only 0.5 ppm in the ore.
Applications
Platinum, platinum alloys and iridium are used as crucible materials
for the growth of single crystals, especially oxides. The chemical
industry uses a significant mount of either platinum or a platinum-
rhodium alloy catalyst in the form of gauze to catalyze the partial
oxidation of ammonia to yield nitric oxide, which is the raw materiel
for fertilizers, explosives, and nitric acid. As a catalyst in the catalytic
converter, an optional componem of the gasoline-bled automobile
exhausts system. As a catalyst in fuel cells. Certain platinum-
containing compounds are capable of crosslinking (or alkylezting) with
DNA and are chemotherapeutic agents owing to this capability. E;or
example, cisplatin, carboplatin and oxdiplatin belong to this class
of drugs (Boyle, 1987). Platinum is also used in. resistance
thermometers, electrodes for use in electrolysis, grills (deuorat ive
plates on the teeth) and as a catalyst in the curing of silicone
elastomers.