WHAT

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PACE

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THEY

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MOST OF THESE MINERALS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY AS THEY CAN ONLY MINE THEM AT THE LOCATIONS OF ASTEROIDS IMPACTS

The minerals are platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, and iridium

PLATINUM

USES OF PLATINUM

Platinum is used primarily in emission control devices. 113 tons is used per year which amounts to 46% of the platinum used worldwide.

The second greatest use is in jewelry. 76 tons of platinum is used each year for jewelry which is 31% of total platinum us.

These numbers are based on the 245 tons of platinum sold in 2010.

RUTHENIUM

USES OF RUTHENIUM

Ruthenium’s main use is to harden platinum and palladium to make those minerals stronger and more useable.

RHODIUM

USES OF RHODIUM

Rhodium is used almost entirely to make emission control devices.

PALLADIUM

USES OF PALLADIUM

Palladium is mostly used in catalytic converters or emission control devices. It is also used in jewelry-making, dentistry and in other places.

OSMIUM

USES OF OSMIUM

Osmium is mostly used by combining it with something else to create a extremely strong substance.

IRIDIUM

USES OF IRIDIUM

Iridium is mostly used in constructing electronics.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

WILKINS, ALASDAIR. "Asteroid Mining Will Give Us All the Platinum We'll Ever Need, and Maybe Start a New Space Age." Io9. N.p., 19 July 2010. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://io9.com/5590330/asteroid-mining-will-give-us-all-the-platinum-well-ever-need-and-maybe-start-a-new-space-age>.

"Ruthenium." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenium>.

 "Rhodium." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhodium>.

 "Platinum." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platinum>.

 "Palladium." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palladium>.

 "Osmium." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osmium>.

 "Iridium." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 25 Mar. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium>.